European Prize for Women Innovators 2026 – YOA

Deadline: September 25, 2025

Applications are open for the European Prize for Women Innovators 2026. The European Prize for Women Innovators celebrates the ladies entrepreneurs behind Europe’s most sport-altering improvements. The prize awards ladies from throughout the EU and international locations related to Horizon Europe, whose disruptive improvements are driving constructive change for individuals and planet.

The European Prize for Women Innovators is collectively awarded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the European Innovation Council (EIC). Through this collaboration, the EIT and EIC are showcasing a big pool of girls innovators, providing extra alternatives for trailblazers, and offering inspiring position fashions for ladies and ladies in all places.

Categories

There are three prize classes:

• In the EIC Women Innovators class, three prizes of EUR 100,000, EUR 70,000 and EUR 50,000 are awarded to the three highest-ranked purposes;
• In the EIC Rising Innovators, three prizes of EUR 50,000, EUR 30,000 and EUR 20,000 are awarded to the three highest-ranked purposes from promising ‘Rising Innovators’ beneath the age of 35.
• The EIT Women Leadership Award, awarded to distinctive ladies leaders from the EIT Community. The winner is awarded EUR 50,000, and two runners-up are awarded EUR 30,000 and EUR 20,000 respectively.

Eligibility

• The applicant should be a girl (bear in mind you will need to apply as a pure particular person and never as a authorized entity);
• The applicant should be legally established in an EU Member State, together with abroad international locations and territories (OCTs) or a rustic related to Horizon Europe;
• The applicant should be the founder or co-founder of the corporate or organisation;
• The firm or organisation should be established in an EU Member State together with abroad international locations and territories, (OCTs) or a rustic related to Horizon Europe, and registered or included no less than two years earlier than the decision 12 months (earlier than 1 January 2023);
• Applicants who’ve already obtained an EU or Euratom prize can not obtain a second prize for the identical actions. 

In addition to the above, these making use of for the Rising Innovators class should be aged beneath 35 firstly of the decision 12 months. There is not any age restrict to apply for the Women Innovators class (or for the EIT Women Leadership class), although candidates eligible for a number of prize classes can solely apply to 1.

Selection Criteria

Eligible purposes can be evaluated in opposition to 3 award standards:

• Breakthrough innovation – the corporate or organisation based or co-based by the applicant is pioneering a breakthrough and disruptive innovation focusing, amongst others, on deep-tech and Science Technology Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) fields inside the EU or international locations related to Horizon Europe.   
• Impact – this innovation addresses an actual want or problem, with vital advantages for individuals and/or the planet.
• Inspiration – the applicant is an inspiring chief, who has performed a pivotal position within the success of the corporate or organisation and is a task mannequin empowering different ladies and ladies in realising their full potential. 

Application

Consult the next paperwork earlier than submitting your application: 

Use the hyperlinks under to apply for the next classes by way of the Funding and Tenders Portal:

For extra data, go to European Prize for Women Innovators.