Definitely apply! You cannot lose anything when participating in the Social Impact Award.

If your idea is still in an early conceptual phase and you feel like you can only fill out the “Idea Core” on the platform, then you’ll get the best support through our new program — the Discovery Journey. You will receive feedback on your application either way, which will help you further develop and refine your idea. Especially if your idea is still in a very early stage, the Award offers a great opportunity to let it grow.

You can also take part in one of our support formats, such as the Infohour, where you can ask all your questions about the SIA application process and our support programs, or book a 1:1 coaching session with one of our experienced experts.  Just sign up via Eventbrite.

Yes! Come on by and join us at all Social Impact Award events. Every workshop, the kick-off event, and the award ceremony are free of charge, and we warmly welcome everyone who is interested. Registration is not mandatory, though we would appreciate it as it helps us in planning. We are happy to receive your confirmation of participation on Eventbrite.

After the application phase, our screening team will review all submitted project ideas and sort them into the chosen program track (based on your selection: either Discovery Journey or Incubation). For the SIA incubation, they will create a shortlist of the most promising project ideas based on our submission criteria. This will then be forwarded to our jury, which will select the 20 best finalist projects for the SIA incubation based on the criteria: social impact, innovation, and feasibility. If you have selected both options, also to participate in the Discovery Journey, you will receive an invitation to join it if you meet the submission criteria, even if you have not been selected as a finalist project.

The application of more than one project by one single person or team is valid. However, each application has to comprise a clearly defined project and to be complete in the submitted documents (have a look at the formal criteria of application).

If you are one of the finalists of the award, you get support by – according to the stage of your project’s development – the development of a business model and a concept, first prototypes of your idea, and first steps towards implementation.  Our experts and mentors may offer you personalized advice on the development and prototyping of your business and impact model at every stage of the process. This way, Social Impact Award enables you as a finalist to dedicate yourself intensively to your project and take big steps in a short time.

As a winner of Social Impact Award you further commit yourself to participate in the SIA Summit in November 2024 to present the further developments of your project during the summer months in front of the SIA international community. Here again you have the opportunity to inspire others and convince them of your project.

The monetary part of the prize will be transferred to you no later than 2 months after the Award Ceremony 2024.

Even if you are not able to dedicate the summer to your project during the summer, you can still benefit from applying to the Social Impact Award.

Taking part in our webinars or making use of our broad online support offer gives you valuable input for the development of your project idea. By applying, you will receive feedback on your project idea from our screening team and jury.

However, you are not eligible to receive one of the Social Impact Award Finalist Tickets as these are reserved for those projects and project teams that are able to work on their ideas during the summer months.

You should also only apply for our Discovery Journey if you have time available in the summer. Although this program takes place online, it still requires approximately 5 hours per week of your time.

If you have further questions, please visit our website or social media channels or contact us directly via our online contact form.

Submitters acknowledge that they comply with the rules of competition and accept the decisions of the selection team and jury.