Deadline: 22-May-22
Nominations for Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East are now open.
An undeniable catalyst for progress, technological innovation can only reach its full potential if it is supported by a solid, viable business proposition that meets current and future social and environmental needs.
To encourage sustainable, responsible, and inclusive development, the International Women’s Prize was introduced in 2020, promoting business ventures led by women entrepreneurs or with the primary purpose of improving women’s lives.
As well as encouraging innovation, Orange also rewards the positive entrepreneurial spirit of dynamic start-ups within the framework of its Social Venture Prize. Since 2011 this International Grand Prix competition has welcomed start-ups from 17 countries in Africa and the Middle East. It identifies, rewards, and supports business propositions that make a positive social and environmental impact.
Phases of the competition
- The first phase will take place between June and September: each application will be assessed according to the rules of the national competitions and up to three winners will be selected in each country. The international phase will then begin. An evaluation committee of Orange employees will preselect 10 finalists from the national winners.
- In October, these finalists will be evaluated by a grand jury of influential representatives from the African tech world, who will choose the three overall winners of the International Grand Prix.
- This jury will also be responsible for choosing the winner of the International Women’s Prize, from five finalists selected by an evaluation committee made up of Orange’s diversity and inclusion teams.
Award Details
- Awards International Grand Prix
- 1st prize: €25,000
- 2nd prize: €15,000
- 3rd prize: €10,000
- The 10 finalists within the OSVP International Grand Prix and the winner of the International Women’s Prize will also receive 6 to 9 months of business development support.
- International Women’s Prize
- Winner: €20,000
- Duration: The Competition will be held between 28 March 2022 (09:00am GMT) and 27 May 2022 (9:00pm GMT)
Eligible Countries
The countries concerned are Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, Jordan, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Liberia, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Tunisia.
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must:
- Be 21 years and over
- Present a social entrepreneurship project based on NICT (New Information and Communication Technologies)
- The candidates must present a project that involves at least one of the 17 countries
- Ideally, the business idea should include a prototype or demo.
Exclusions
Excluded from the Competition participation are:
- Individuals of less than 21 years at the launch of the Competition.
- Individuals or organizations with a business that has been running for more than three years by the start of the Competition.
- Individuals having conceded rights to their Project.
- Individuals having collaborated directly in the organization of the Competition (such as employees of the Orange Group working within CSR or members of Orange subsidiaries in Africa and the Middle East participating in the organization or jury).
- Representatives of the national and/or Grand Prix juries and their families.
- Individuals without a bank account.
For more information, visit https://poesam.orange.com/en/
