Opportunities

4th SEED Awards (2009)

Call for Submissions Now Open

Deadline 16 March 2009

Do you have an entrepreneurial and innovative idea that is locally-driven and has great potential to contribute to sustainable development in countries with developing or transition economies?

If you meet SEED’s eligibility criteria, you could apply now for the 2009 SEED Awards for entrepreneurship in sustainable development. Award Winners receive a comprehensive package of tailor-made support services, worth up to $40,000, to help their venture to become established and to increase their impact. This includes access to relevant expertise and technical assistance, meeting new partners and building networks, developing business plans and identifying sources of finance.

The deadline for applications is 16 March 2009. Application forms can be filled in online or downloaded here.

The SEED Award recognizes and rewards two levels of winners:

20 SEED Award Winners, which will be announced at the UN Commission for Sustainable Development in New York in May 2009. They will be publicized and profiled through SEED’s network and will also receive support services, worth US$5,000, to help connect them with potential partners and funders.

10 Gold Award Winners, selected from the pool of 20 Winners, who will receive the extended ‘SEED Award’ of support services, worth an additional US$35,000, which will be delivered over a period of 6-12 months. The nature of the support services will depend on the needs that the Winners identify and will be developed jointly with them. Award Winners will be announced during August 2009.

In addition to receiving support services, Gold Award Winners will be celebrated at Awards ceremonies in their home countries.
Before applying

You may wish to read about eligibility criteria, see what previous winners have achieved, and read some of the SEED Research publications on Critical success factors and Key Performance Indicators to help you to understand what kinds of Award Winners we will be looking for in 2009.

http://www.seedinit.org/mainpages2/awards/what/index.php