USAID accepts applications for the Accelerating Women Entrepreneurs prize. The prize provides acceleration services including investment readiness consulting, investor matchmaking support, and business analysis to women entrepreneurs. Projects may be focussing on various thematic areas around the main topic agriculture, including aquaculture/livestock, pest management, irrigation and water, and postharvest among others. Eligibility extends to women-owned or operated commercial enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa that provide services and projects to smallholder farmers. Applications must be submitted by 25 April 2018. Follow this link
awards/prizes
Unitech International — Carbon Footprint Challenge 2018
The Carbon Footprint Challenge is open for ideas and solution to decrease carbon footprint of manufacturing, industrial processes as well as for products throughout their entire value chain. The challenge is open to students and young employees. Each team must consist of 3-5 people. The winner will receive CHF10 thousand. Ideas can be submitted until 06 May 2018. Find out more
Monarch Butterfly Fund — Monarch Butterfly Migration Challenge
The Monarch Butterfly Fund (MBF) launches an international competition to find a tracking technology that can deliver important scientific insights. The fund offers a $50 thousand cash prize to the individual or team that can conceptualize and develop an innovative tagging and tracking system that can be easily implemented in current conservation and scientific research, allowing individual monarchs to be tracked during the migration. Project proposals must be submitted by 01 April 2018. To learn more, visit: MBFC
Tata Trusts — Social Alpha Energy Challenge
The first edition of the Social Alpha Energy Challenge (SAEC) invites individuals and start-ups with innovative technology solutions across the entire energy life cycle to apply to the Social Alpha Energy Challenge. Up to ten winners will be awarded 6-18 months of intense mentoring at the upcoming Tata Smart Energy Incubation Center. The Challenge calls for innovations across the entire energy lifecycle and is open to energy application in all use cases including (but not limited to) households, agriculture, biofuels, and others. The contest is open to individuals, teams or companies. The deadline for application is 07 April 2018. Details here
USAID — Young Women Transform Prize
USAID will support youth in developing countries to develop their own solutions to advance the economic empowerment of young women in their communities. Prizes of $15 – $35 thousand will be awarded to grassroots youth-led or youth-serving organizations in low- or middle-income countries to address long-standing barriers to young women’s employment. Applications are due by 30 April 2018. Details
World Academy of Sciences — C.N.R. Rao Prize for Scientific Research 2018
The prize is named after TWAS Founding Fellow and former president C.N.R. Rao to honor TWAS Fellows from the developing world. The special focus is scientists in the world’s scientifically lagging and least-developed countries who have made significant contributions to global science. The amount of the prize is US$5 thousand. The closing date is 31 May 2018. Link
Society for International Development — Andrew E. Rice Award 2018
The Andrew E. Rice Award for Leadership and Innovation recognizes the achievements of an exceptional young professional working in the field of international development. Past winners include field research on agriculture strategies and the creation of low-cost digital games that inspire social change. Candidates must be between 22 to 32 years old and have at least two years of experience in international development in developing countries. The winner will receive $1,000. Candidates must complete the application form by 26 March 2018. Here
Society of Wetland Scientists — Youth Art Contest
The Society of Wetland Scientists seeks submissions for its Youth Art Contest. There are two categories: Grades 1 – 4 (artists between 6-10 years old) and Grades 5 – 8 (artists between 10-14 years old). Winners will receive a small cash prize. The art work has to be submitted by 02 April 2018. View the submission process
Stephen Lloyd Awards — Sustainable Social Change
Applications are open for the Stephen Lloyd Awards. The awards seek nurturing innovative ideas and projects from all around the world that can lead to practical, sustainable social change. This includes one or more categories of the Terra Viva Grants Directory. Funding of up to £20 thousand will be made available to support award winners in developing their initiatives. In addition, ten shortlisted candidates will receive £2 thousand to further develop their ideas. Ideas have to be submitted by 06 April 2018. Know more
USA, UK, and Canada — Humanitarian Grand Challenge
The U.S. Agency for International Development, the UK Department for International Development, and Grand Challenges Canada seek proposals for the “Creating Hope in Conflict: A Humanitarian Grand Challenge”. Thematic areas that fall in the scope of the Terra Viva Grants Directory include drinking water, sanitation, and energy, among others. Projects should focus on life-saving or life-improving innovations to help the most vulnerable and hardest-to-reach people impacted by humanitarian crises caused by conflict. About 10 to 15 selected projects will receive seed funding of C$250 thousand over a maximum of 24 months to support the validation and testing of new approaches. Few selected projects (about 2 to 4) will receive transition-to-scale funding of up to C$1 million with technical support to support the implementation of innovative solutions that have already achieved proof of concept. Eligible applicants include social enterprises and other recognized institutions (e.g., non-profit organizations and for-profit companies) from all around the world. Interested applicants should create an account no later than 09 April and applications are due on 12 April 2018. The Humanitarian Grand Challenge