Application Deadline: 5 June 2026.
Applications are now open for the 2026 Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition. Join a global community for entrepreneurship and innovation. Develop ideas and solutions for today’s challenges together with like-minded people.
The Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition (CEC) is aimed especially at young entrepreneurs and empowers them to develop ideas for a more peaceful and sustainable world. Participants are encouraged to create ideas with social impact and to actively contribute to one or more of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which address the key social, economic, environmental, and health challenges of our time. Entrepreneurs from age 13 and up are invited to submit their ideas and become part of an international community.
The competition runs in three phases:
Jury Decision: The ten submissions with the most votes are evaluated by an expert jury and the winners are selected.
Idea Submission & Entrepreneurial Design: Submit a short pitch, have it reviewed against the competition criteria, complete the courses, and fill out the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas (EDC).
Voting: All ideas are published, and participants can gather votes while supporting each other.
Timeline
- March 02, 2026
Start of the Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition.
From now on you can submit your idea as a pitch in the dashboard under „My idea/project ».
May 04, 2026
Last day for submissions. Last day to complete both the „Brains versus Capital” & „Sustainable Entrepreneurship” courses and the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas (EDC).
Please keep in mind that we may not have enough time to review your pitch and you may lack time to meet the CEC requirements. Remember also to submit your idea for voting. Once you meet all the requirements, the button will appear directly in your idea.
May 05, 2026
Start of Voting Phase.
All ideas that have completed both courses and fully completed the EDC will automatically move into the Voting Phase and will be posted on our public website.
June 05, 2026
End of Voting Phase.
You still have the whole day to collect votes. At midnight the voting will be closed and it is no longer possible to vote. We will evaluate the collected votes and announce the finalists as soon as possible.
Note: Any form of manipulation or fraud during the voting phase will be strictly monitored. If invalid or fake votes are detected, they will be removed. In severe cases, the participant may be disqualified. Fair and transparent voting is essential for the competition!
June 06 – June 22, 2026
Evaluation of votes and assessment by the jury
June 23, 2026
Announcement of the winners
The top 10 submissions with the most votes will advance to the finals, where they will be evaluated by our expert jury. The jury will award points based on key criteria such as entrepreneurial vision, feasibility, innovation, leadership, social impact, and sustainability. The winners will then be selected and announced on our blog.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition
