In collaboration with Accenture and the Global Alliance for YOUth, we are proud to launch the Global Shapers Innovation Prize 2025.
The Innovation Prize empowers young changemakers to accelerate positive and lasting change through collective action. The prize recognizes inspiring, uplifting, impactful hub projects with grant funding, training, and mentorship.
Overview
The Innovation Prize represents a significant step forward in our efforts to support youth-led projects capable of driving meaningful social change. Innovation Prize grants support the most promising projects aiming to transform, amplify, and accelerate the impact of Global Shapers. The prize offers:
- Funding for Promising Projects: Projects will be selected to receive grant funding based on their potential to deliver significant, lasting impact in local communities and beyond.
- Linkages Between Generations: The prize creates invaluable linkages and learning opportunities between experienced business leaders and young changemakers. By fostering collaboration, we harness the combined power of experience and fresh ideas to drive change.
Eligibility
All hubs can apply to the Innovation Prize until 16 March for a chance to unlock funding to help maximize the impact of your solutions. Projects can be a new solution or a proven solution that is ready to scale. To be eligible for the prize:
- Submitted projects must have commitment from a minimum of three hub members and the support of your hub's Curatorship to ensure projects are well underway within a 12-month period.
- Your hub must be able to receive charitable funds from Switzerland as a registered legal entity or in partnership with a fiscal sponsor.*
Registered Legal Entity: A registered legal entity created by your hub and recognized by the government in your country. This could be a non-profit organization, association, or company. A legal entity has a bank account in its name and is authorized to receive donor funds.
Fiscal Sponsor: A fiscal sponsor is an established organization that agrees to receive funds on your behalf. The fiscal sponsor must be a registered legal entity that manages the grant money and ensures it is used properly. Fiscal sponsorship is common when a small group or volunteer-led effort is not yet a registered legal entity but needs a way to receive funding.
- Submitted projects should be uploaded to TopLink and fulfill our usual project criteria.**
- After signing a prize grant agreement, hubs will have 12 months to ensure their projects are well underway. Periodic progress updates and a final project report will be required throughout this period.
* Hubs that won the prize in 2024 are not eligible to apply in 2025, ensuring a fair opportunity for other hubs to participate and be recognized. Hubs that submitted applications in 2024 but were not selected as finalists are encouraged to apply again this year.
** A cross-hub initiative is eligible to apply, but only one grant will be awarded for the project. Make sure you are very clear in the application about how the funds will be distributed to other hubs that are participating in the cross-hub initiative, if applicable.
Application Process
Our Innovation Prize will begin with a global call for ideas. Before submitting your solution, convene all hub members and carefully consider which of your hub's projects has the highest potential for lasting impact. Reflect on your hub's unique strengths and read through the Prize selection criteria. Each hub can submit one project for consideration, including how funding (from 5'000 or 10'000 CHF) will help accelerate your impact.
When ready, submit your project via Qualtrics before 16 March. You will be asked to answer the following questions in the short application form:
- Sponsors: Provide at least 3 hub members who are championing this hub project.
- Grant Type: New solution (5'000 CHF) or proven solution (10'000 CHF).
- TopLink ID: To be eligible, projects must have been submitted on TopLink.
- Project Name: This should reflect the essence of your solution and be compelling.
- Impact Area: Select up to two of our community's six impact areas.
- Project Solution: Describe a local challenge and how your solution will address it.
- Project Pitch: If you had 1 minute to pitch your project, what would you say?
- Impact: Outline your impact goals including measurable outcomes and targets.
- Criteria: How is your solution innovative, inclusive, feasible and scalable?
- Funding: How will you use the funding to achieve your objectives?
- Mentorship: Which type of training or mentorship would be most helpful to you?
Scoring Criteria
A panel of experienced judges will review applications using the below criteria and a discussion-based process to select this year’s winners.
- Impact: Projects have the potential to make a positive, measurable, and lasting impact on a targeted group of people or the planet.
- Innovation: Projects apply a transformative approach, new technology, creative impact model or unique partnership for solving a local challenge.
- Inclusivity: Projects are designed with and for underserved and/or diverse populations, and hubs demonstrate a deep understanding of these needs.
- Feasibility: Hub members of submitted projects have a realistic, practical and collective plan for implementing the solution locally, including funding it.
- Scalability: Projects have the potential to scale or be replicated across communities and geographies.
We are looking for projects across our community's six impact areas, including:
- Reskilling for the Future: Projects that increase access to education, skills, jobs and the internet, and promote entrepreneurship, ethical innovation, or digital literacy.
- Protecting the Planet: Projects that reduce emissions, fight drought, preserve biodiversity, conserve nature or promote circular economy solutions and sustainability.
- Creating Inclusive Communities: Projects that advocate for human rights, advance social justice or disrupt harmful stereotypes related to gender, race or disability.
- Improving Health and Wellbeing: Projects that improve access to services for mental health, reproductive health and infectious diseases to achieve better health outcomes.
- Strengthening Civic Engagement: Projects that aim to strengthen democracy, mobilize voters, influence policy change or inspire young people to run for office.
- Delivering Basic Needs: Projects that are combating hunger, poverty, homelessness or providing other necessary support to vulnerable groups.
Funding and In-kind Support
Innovation Prize winners will unlock access to:
- Seed Grants: Prize Winners will receive grant funding to bring their projects to fruition or scale, enabling them to make a positive impact on the world. New solutions will be eligible for 5'000 CHF (Incubation Prize) and proven solutions will be eligible for 10'000 CHF (Accelerator Prize), depending on the project's unique needs and status.
- Upskilling Opportunities: We are committed to nurturing and enhancing the skills of our Prize Winners through training and mentorship opportunities. Winners will receive support depending on their needs (e.g. project management, monitoring and evaluation, fundraising, and storytelling support).
As soon as the prize finalists are confirmed, we will initiate the process of signing a grant agreement and transfering funds to your hub or fiscal sponsor. The process typically takes 60-90 days and is dependent on confirming eligibility to receive grant funds and the necessary banking information.
Announcement of Winners
Projects can be submitted until the deadline of 16 March 2025. After this, a panel of experienced judges will review applications using a set criteria and discussion-based process to select this year's winners. Winners will be announced during the Global Shapers Annual Summit in July 2025.
FAQs
Please see our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.