Sustainia100 is an annual guide to 100 innovative sustainable solutions from around the world in sectors that include energy, resources, and food and agriculture — among others. Sustainia100 invites innovative solutions that present readily available projects, initiatives, and technologies at the forefront of sustainable transformation. The finalists receive publicity online, at the awards ceremony, and in a published guide. (The deadline for submissions is not available.) Link
social enterprise
World Bank — WeMENA Supporting Women Social Entrepreneurs
WeMENA announces a challenge to help women advance solutions across eight cities in the Middle East and North Africa to build resilience to climate change. The cities are Alexandria, Amman, Beirut, Byblos, Cairo, Casablanca, Ramallah, and Tunis. The challenge categories include agriculture and food security; sustainable energy and the environment; water and sanitation; and several others. Participants in the challenge will receive business training, mentoring, and the chance to compete for a share of US$150 thousand in cash awards. The competition is open to women participating as individuals, as teams, or on behalf of a legal entity. The deadline for submissions is 17 January 2017. Link
Climate Strategies Accelerator — Breakthroughs to End the Age of Oil
The Climate Strategies Accelerator (CSA) aims to identify and support leaders with big ideas to address the complex problem of climate change. The 2017 theme is “end the age of oil.” CSA selects prototype projects and program leaders in progressive stages, beginning with a Breakthrough Lab of intensive networking and proposal development. At the end of the Breakthrough Lab, the CSA may choose to invest in one or more candidates, who would then become program leaders, receiving US$1-2 million per year for a three-year grant period to pursue their ideas. The CSA welcomes applications worldwide. The application deadline to participate in the the Breakthrough Lab is 31 January 2017. Link
MIT Center for Collective Intelligence — Climate CoLab 2017
The MIT Climate CoLab organizes contests to solicit the world’s best ideas to prevent and adapt to climate change. Some contests pose social and political questions, while others focus on issues in science and technology. Each year, the contest winners are invited to a conference at MIT’s campus in the USA, where a pool of prize funding is shared among the best ideas. Current contests include one on managing and reducing carbon contributions, with submission deadline on 20 January 2017. Another contest focuses on anticipating climate hazards, with deadline on 10 February 2017. Link
Rolex Awards — Rolex Awards for Young Leaders 2018
Five Rolex Awards will be offered to young leaders (ages 18 to 30) anywhere in the world who have ground-breaking proposals or initiatives that will help expand knowledge of the world and improve the quality of life on the planet. Applications can be submitted in three categories: the environment, applied science and technology, or exploration. Projects should be planned for the future, or be only partially completed. Each winner will receive CHF 100 thousand in order to help her/him with project implementation. The application deadline is 30 June 2017. Link
Smart Villages — Off-Grid Energy in West Africa
The Off-Grid Energy Challenge invites applications from early-stage energy entrepreneurs in West Africa who are running businesses that generate or can be powered by off-grid energy. Businesses must have at least an existing prototype and business model to enter. The winners of the competition will receive free business, legal, and financial services and the chance to pitch for up to US$5 thousand in prize capital. Up to three teams will be accepted into the programme. The deadline for applications (English, French, Portuguese) is 21 November 2016. Link
U.S. Department of State — Global Innovation through Science and Technology
GIST is the flagship U.S. government international program on innovation and entrepreneurship. GIST participants in low and middle-income economies can develop skills, build networks, find mentors, and access financing through a combination of in-country training, a global pitch competition, interactive online programming, and direct connections to U.S. experts. Funding Opportunity OES-OPP-17-001. The application deadline is 15 December 2016. Link
World Bank — Big Data Innovation Challenge
The World Bank is interested in how “big data” can be used to address development questions, including how climate change affects food security and forestry and watersheds. Solutions may include but are not limited to analytical methodologies, APIs, algorithms, software applications, tools, and new data set generation. Technologies may include artificial intelligence, crowd-sourcing applications, data science, dynamic visualizations, machine learning, and predictive analytics. The Challenge will award US$10 thousand to the winner in each of the following two categories: (i) food security or nutrition, and (ii) forestry or watersheds. Submissions are invited from individuals, students, entrepreneurs, start-ups, university labs, private companies, nonprofits, and public sector agencies legally established in member countries of the World Bank Group. The closing date for submissions is 09 November 2016. Link
OpenIDEO — Economic Opportunities for Youth in East Africa
OpenIDEO convenes a global community to collaboratively create solutions addressing the world’s biggest challenges. Among these challenges is the Youth Empowerment Challenge for East Africa, which aims to empower young people in East Africa to participate in the economy. OpenIDEO invites new ideas that motivate and inspire youth; build skills; support their transition into financial stability; include the private sector; or harness the potential for the participation of young people in agriculture. The Challenge is looking for ideas that answer its challenge question and that are targeted at youth between ages 18-35 in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. At least five winners of this challenge will receive a grant of between US$50 thousand and US$150 thousand, plus training and design support from IDEO. The challenge is open to all creative thinkers worldwide, and in any discipline. The deadline for submissions in the ideas phase is 31 October 2016. Link
Global Social Venture Competition — Competition 2017
The Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) is a partnership of business schools in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa to provide aspiring entrepreneurs with mentoring, exposure, and funding to support their social ventures. Past winners include plans for water supply, energy micro-credit, agricultural processing, ecological building materials, and other environmental themes. The GSVC will award cash prizes up to US$25 thousand. The deadline for the first entry round in most regions is 05 December 2016. Link