Deadline: 15-Jun-23

Nominations are now open for the Better Life Program for the African Rural Woman Innovative Entrepreneur Award to recognize talented female entrepreneurs who have championed and leveraged the use of technology in their businesses.

The Award celebrates, support and champion women in business and female entrepreneurs across industries and highlights women who consistently demonstrate exceptional growth, change or impact. The BLPARW Innovative Entrepreneur Award will highlight the work of evolutionary female entrepreneurs who have leveraged technology and will stand as an inspiration for others.

It provides an opportunity to raise the profile of women, celebrate achievement and showcase success. The goal of the BLPARW Innovative Entrepreneur Award is to inspire female entrepreneurs in Africa to develop businesses, create jobs and improve lives.

Award Categories

• Innovator of the Year
  • This award celebrates entrepreneurs behind game changing innovations. Entrepreneurs who have founded a successful company and the entrepreneur must show drive and ambition, must be customer eccentric. The entrepreneur must have developed a new idea and challenged invisible orthodoxies, harnessed underappreciated trends and leveraged embedded competencies and assets.
• Disruptor of the Year
  • This award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional creativity, originality and entrepreneurial spirit in their pursuit of new ideas and innovative solutions. Nominees of this award should have shown willingness to challenge conventional thinking and disrupt established business models, leading to significant changes and advancement in their communities. The entrepreneur must have identified a gap between what has been conventionally offered to the marketplace and what customer trends are dictating and bridge that gap.
• Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year
  • This award recognizes entrepreneurs that are committed to creating quality products or services sustainably, have a clear road map and helping to tackle climate change and educate customers or clients on environmental sustainability.
• Green Entrepreneur of the Year
  • This award celebrates the most innovative and promising locally led enterprise in sustainable development. Enterprises that prevent or minimize damages caused by global warming, enterprises that provide solutions to respond to the effects of climate change or prepare for future impacts.
• Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year
  • The Start-up entrepreneur of the year celebrates entrepreneurs who have been in business for 1-3 years and have received great success and respect, entrepreneurs who bridge a gap.
• Scale-Up Entrepreneur of the Year
  • The scale-up entrepreneur of the year award celebrates entrepreneurs who have expanded their businesses and have achieved at least 20% growth in three years with at least 10 employees.
• Small Online Business of the Year
  • This award category celebrates entrepreneurs who have strong online presence and thriving without necessarily owning a physical store. Entrepreneurs who leverage on marketing mix.

Benefits

• Profile Elevation
• Increase business credibility
• Free Business Development Support Services
• Feature on website and publications
• Cash prize of ₦200,000

Eligibility Criteria

• Must be female above the age of 18.
• Business must be legally registered.
• Business must address a challenge.
• Business must have an online presence.
• Business must have at least 3 employees.

Criteria

• Breakthrough Innovation: The company founded or co-founded by the applicant provides innovative product or service in the market
• Impact-The product or service addresses a specific societal need or challenge with significant benefit for people
• Inspiration-The applicant has played a pivotal role in the successes of the company and considers themselves a role model for other women and girls.

For more information, visit Better Life Program for the African Rural Woman.