#Scholarship: Unilever Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Awards, 2014

Started by scholar, Jul 11, 2014, 07:31 PM

scholar

Unilever in partnership with Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) is offering Unilever Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Awards to individuals 30 years old or younger from any part of the world. A total of more than €200,000 in financial support and individually tailored mentoring is on offer to help entrepreneurs develop and scale-up their initiatives. All seven finalists will take part in an online development programme and then participate in a two-day accelerator workshop at Cambridge University, UK where expert help and professional guidance is provided to help them develop their ideas. Entries must be submitted online by 1st August 2014. Study Subject(s): The Awards are looking for scalable and sustainable solutions in the form of products, services or applications that enable changes in practices or behaviours in one or more of nine categories: -Improving Health & Well-Being: water, sanitation and hygiene and nutrition -Reducing Environmental Impact: water scarcity, greenhouse gases, waste and sustainable agriculture -Enhancing Livelihoods: smallholder farmers, opportunities for women and micro enterprise Course Level: Finalists will take part in four-week online development programme and then participate in a two-day accelerator workshop at Cambridge University, UK, where expert help and professional guidance is provided to help them develop their ideas. Scholarship Provider: Unilever and Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) Scholarship can be taken at: UK Eligibility: -The competition is open to individuals 30 years old or younger, from any part of the world. -Innovations must have grown beyond the conceptual stage—with the product, process or enterprise already gaining traction among local communities or other markets. Entries must change behaviour to enable sustainable living. -Entries cannot be accepted from current Unilever employees, nor can entries promote Unilever or its products. Scholarship Open for International Students: Unilever Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Awards are open for the citizens from any part of the world. Scholarship Description: Building on the success of the 2013 Awards, Unilever is once again inviting young people to come up with practical and innovative solutions to some of the world's biggest sustainability challenges and enter them in the Unilever Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Awards. Open to anyone aged 30 or under, Unilever is looking for scalable and sustainable products, services or applications that reduce environmental impacts, improve health and well-being or enhance livelihoods through changes in practices or behaviours. The Awards run in partnership with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and in collaboration with Ashoka offer seven young people a total of more than €200,000 in financial support and individually tailored mentoring. The overall winner also receives the prestigious HRH The Prince of Wales Young Sustainability Entrepreneur Prize. All seven finalists take part in an online development programme and then participate in a two-day accelerator workshop at Cambridge University, UK, where expert help and professional guidance is provided to help them develop their ideas. Number of award(s): Seven finalists will be selected. Duration of award(s): Not Known What does it cover? A total of more than €200,000 in financial support and individually tailored mentoring is on offer to help entrepreneurs develop and scale-up their initiatives. Six finalists will receive cash prizes of €10,000, along with support and mentorship (worth €10,000). One winner will receive €50,000 cash prize and will be awarded the HRH The Prince of Wales Young Sustainability Entrepreneur Prize at a prestigious dinner event in London in January 2015 and €25,000 worth of support and mentoring. Support is provided to all award winners and will be designed and structured around individual requirements through the online programme and up until Autumn 2015. Selection Criteria: -Innovation: The best entries will demonstrate a creative approach to the challenge they tackle and the solution they propose. This innovation may comprise new products or practices, or new applications, or hybrid combinations of existing tools. The initiative does not have to involve inventing something entirely new, but entries should describe how their solutions are driven by original, groundbreaking ideas or being implemented in a way that will make a new significant difference to the community they are operating in. -Measurable Impact: Entries should explain how the initiative delivers positive social, economic, and/or environmental impact, using both quantitative and qualitative data. The best projects will tackle a significant sustainability issue and will have the potential of making a big difference by being expanded to new markets, sectors, or geographies. -Financial Sustainability: Entries should have a clear plan for reaching long-term goals and securing financial backing—they should describe not only how they currently finance their work, but also how they plan to finance it in the future. The strongest entries will outline how their solution can be sustained without reliance on philanthropic donations or aid for core funding. Entries will also be evaluated on: -The leadership qualities of the entrepreneur, including how effectively they are able to engage with relevant communities and stakeholders to realise the potential of the solution. -The contribution that the awards process and prizes will have on the success of the initiative. -Entries that succeed to the next stage will be requested to submit additional information to be reviewed by a selection committee. This will include a short business plan and some financial projections. Templates and guidance will be provided. Notification: Finalists will be announced in October 2014, with the Cambridge Accelerator Workshop and final judging taking place in January 2015. Online Application: Entries must be submitted online through the Ashoka Changemakers website. Scholarship Application Deadline: The application deadline is 1st August 2014. Further Official Scholarship Information and Application