SIA Social Impact Award gemeinnützige GmbH - Social Impact Award

Benefit

You will receive 3,000 EUR as a jury prize if your idea for a social or environmental project is ranked amongst the best. In addition to the prize money, you will take part in a free summer incubation programme (support with developing your idea): one-to-one mentoring, workshops, prototype development and access to a network of experts and more than 1,000 social entrepreneurs across over 25 countries. A separate prize of Community Award of 2,000 EUR will be awarded to a team selected via a public vote. Even before the awards ceremony, you can take part in free workshops across Austria (Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, Linz, St. Pölten and other cities) to further develop your idea. In Austria, the award is organised by SIA Social Impact Award gemeinnützige GmbH, with the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) as its academic partner.

Eligibility

• Age: Every member of your core team is between 14 and 30 years old.
• Field of study: Any subject works, and you do not have to be a student at all.
• Your idea: You have an idea for a social or environmental project. It may still be on paper or at an early stage, provided you launched the project after 1 January last year.
• Funding so far: Your project has not yet received any seed funding in excess of 6,000 EUR, for example in the form of angel investments, grants or prize money.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply. The programme takes place in Austria.
• Repeat entries: You may reapply with a new idea even if you have previously been a finalist or a winner. An idea that you have already submitted but did not win with may also be resubmitted.

How to apply

Submit your idea online via the SIA application platform by 27 April. A local team will review your submission. A jury of experts will then assess the ideas in terms of their impact, their innovative potential, the feasibility of the plan and the suitability of the team, and select the finalists. The finalists will be announced at a public event. Each applicant will receive written feedback from the jury.

If you are looking for further funding opportunities beyond this prize, you can browse our guide Scholarships in Austria for more options in Austria.