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Up to €100,000 Women Innovators Prize

  • Organization: European Innovation Council (EIC) and European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
  • Type: Award
  • Location: Global
  • Deadline: December 1, 2026
  • Funding: Fully Funded

The European Innovation Council and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology jointly award this annual EU prize to women who founded or co-founded a company behind a breakthrough innovation. The 2027 edition has nine cash prizes across three categories, including a Rising Innovators category for founders under 35. Applicants must live in an EU Member State or a country associated to Horizon Europe, and apply as individuals through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. **What you get:** - Women Innovators category: €100,000 for first place, €70,000 for second and €50,000 for third - Rising Innovators category (under 35): €50,000, €30,000 and €20,000 - EIT Women Leadership category: €50,000, €30,000 and €20,000 - Europe-wide recognition, with winners announced at an award ceremony planned for June 2027 - Up to six top applicants per category are invited to a hearing with the jury in Brussels, which may be held remotely **What you'll do:** - Choose one category; applying to more than one gets only your latest application considered - Register for an EU Login account and a personal participant code (PIC) as a natural person on the Funding and Tenders Portal - Complete Part A online and a Part B description of up to 15 pages, judged on breakthrough innovation, impact and inspiration - Record a video message of no more than 90 seconds about yourself and your achievements - Upload proof of age if applying as a Rising Innovator, or proof of a link to the EIT Community for the EIT category **Key dates:** - Call opened 2 September 2026 - Online info session held 17 September 2026; the recording and slides are on the prize page - Applications close 1 December 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time (CET) - Evaluation December 2026 to April 2027, with jury hearings in February and March 2027 - Finalists announced March 2027; award ceremony June 2027 **More information:** - Full eligibility and award criteria are in the Rules of Contest, linked from the prize page - Each category has its own application page on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal - Questions go to EISMEA-WIP@ec.europa.eu or eit-awards@eit.europa.eu

Apply for Up to €100,000 Women Innovators Prize

European Innovation Council (EIC) and European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)Award

Up to €100,000 Women Innovators Prize

Dec 01, 2026 17:00:00 Europe/Brussels
Opportunity type
Award
Funding
Fully Funded
Location
Global
Deadline
Dec 01, 2026 17:00:00 Europe/Brussels

About this opportunity

The European Innovation Council and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology jointly award this annual EU prize to women who founded or co-founded a company behind a breakthrough innovation. The 2027 edition has nine cash prizes across three categories, including a Rising Innovators category for founders under 35. Applicants must live in an EU Member State or a country associated to Horizon Europe, and apply as individuals through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

What you get:

  • Women Innovators category: €100,000 for first place, €70,000 for second and €50,000 for third
  • Rising Innovators category (under 35): €50,000, €30,000 and €20,000
  • EIT Women Leadership category: €50,000, €30,000 and €20,000
  • Europe-wide recognition, with winners announced at an award ceremony planned for June 2027
  • Up to six top applicants per category are invited to a hearing with the jury in Brussels, which may be held remotely

What you'll do:

  • Choose one category; applying to more than one gets only your latest application considered
  • Register for an EU Login account and a personal participant code (PIC) as a natural person on the Funding and Tenders Portal
  • Complete Part A online and a Part B description of up to 15 pages, judged on breakthrough innovation, impact and inspiration
  • Record a video message of no more than 90 seconds about yourself and your achievements
  • Upload proof of age if applying as a Rising Innovator, or proof of a link to the EIT Community for the EIT category

Key dates:

  • Call opened 2 September 2026
  • Online info session held 17 September 2026; the recording and slides are on the prize page
  • Applications close 1 December 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time (CET)
  • Evaluation December 2026 to April 2027, with jury hearings in February and March 2027
  • Finalists announced March 2027; award ceremony June 2027

More information:

  • Full eligibility and award criteria are in the Rules of Contest, linked from the prize page
  • Each category has its own application page on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal
  • Questions go to EISMEA-WIP@ec.europa.eu or eit-awards@eit.europa.eu

Who can apply

  • You must be a woman and apply as a natural person, not through your company
  • You must legally reside in an EU Member State (including overseas countries and territories) or a country associated to Horizon Europe
  • You must be the founder or co-founder of a company or organisation established in one of those countries and registered or incorporated before 1 January 2025; self-employment does not count
  • Rising Innovators category: born on or after 1 January 1991, with proof of age uploaded
  • Women Innovators category: no age limit
  • EIT Women Leadership category: a direct link to the EIT Community, such as EIT or KIC support or a completed EIT Labelled programme
  • No joint applications; co-founders from the same company must apply separately
  • You cannot win if you have already received an EU or Euratom prize for the same activities

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.

We could not fully verify this organization or all of its details. Check it independently on the official website before you apply, and never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

80
LOT Verification ScoreSolid

Cross-checked 14 of 15 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

  • +Nine cash prizes from €20,000 to €100,000, awarded by the European Innovation Council and the EIT
  • +A separate Rising Innovators category for women founders born on or after 1 January 1991
  • +You apply as an individual, and there is no application fee
  • +Winners since 2011 are published, so you can see who has won before

Worth checking yourself

  • !You must already be the founder or co-founder of a registered company, established before 1 January 2025. A student idea does not qualify
  • !You must live in an EU country or a country associated with Horizon Europe, and your company must be established there
  • !Closes 1 December at 17:00 Brussels time, in the afternoon
  • !One EIC web page still says the company must be registered before 1 January 2023; the official Rules of Contest say 2025
  • !Prize money is paid after the ceremony, and winners must promote the prize using EU branding

Sources checked

EIeic.ec.europa.euApplyECec.europa.euOfficialECec.europa.euOfficialECec.europa.euOfficialEIeit.europa.euOfficialEIeic.ec.europa.euApplyEIeic.ec.europa.euApplyEIeic.ec.europa.euApplyEIeic.ec.europa.euApplyEIeic.ec.europa.euApplyEIeic.ec.europa.euApplyECec.europa.euOfficialECec.europa.euOfficialOPopportunitiesforyouth.orgOfficial

LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.

Up to €100,000 Women Innovators Prize
Dec 01, 2026 17:00:00 Europe/Brussels