The opportunities created by novel technologies and disruptive innovations promise to deliver the fair and sustainable recovery Europe needs. But Europe risks missing out on these opportunities if half its population is overlooked as a source of innovation and creative talent.

The EU Prize for Women Innovators celebrates the women entrepreneurs behind game-changing innovations. In doing so, the EU seeks to raise awareness of the need for more female innovators, and create role models for women and girls everywhere.

The prize is awarded to the most talented women entrepreneurs from across the EU and countries associated to Horizon Europe, who have founded a successful company and brought innovation to the market. The prize is managed by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, and the winners are chosen by an independent expert jury.

Three prizes of €100,000 each are awarded in the main category. A fourth prize of €50,000 is awarded to a promising ‘Rising Innovator’ aged 30 or younger.

The deadline for submissions is 17:00 (CET) on 30 June 2021.

All applications must be submitted via the Funding and Tenders Portal.

Who can apply?

To apply, you must be:

• a woman
• established in an EU Member State (including overseas countries and territories) or a country associated to Horizon Europe
• founder or co-founder of an active innovative company registered at least two years before the submission deadline.

In addition, those applying for the Rising Innovator category must be aged 30 or younger at the start of the call year.

The eligibility and award criteria are described in the Rules of Contest for this prize. For more information, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions.

An application form is provided here as an example.