Applications are now open for the 2026 Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition. Join a global community focused on entrepreneurship and innovation, and develop ideas and solutions for today’s challenges alongside like-minded individuals.
The Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition (CEC) is aimed particularly at young entrepreneurs and empowers them to develop ideas for a more peaceful and sustainable world. Participants are encouraged to create socially impactful solutions and contribute to one or more of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which address key social, economic, environmental, and health challenges. Entrepreneurs aged 13 and above are invited to submit their ideas and become part of an international community.
The competition runs in three phases:
Idea Submission & Entrepreneurial Design: Submit a short pitch, have it reviewed against the competition criteria, complete the required courses, and fill in the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas (EDC).
Voting: All approved ideas are published, allowing participants to gather votes while supporting one another.
Jury Decision: The ten submissions with the most votes are evaluated by an expert jury, who select the winners.
Timeline
2 March 2026
Start of the Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition. From this date, participants can submit their ideas via the dashboard under “My idea/project”.
4 May 2026
Final day for submissions. This is also the deadline to complete both the “Brains versus Capital” and “Sustainable Entrepreneurship” courses, as well as the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas (EDC).
Please note that late submissions may not be reviewed in time, and participants may not meet all requirements. Remember to submit your idea for voting once all criteria are met—the option will appear automatically in your dashboard.
5 May 2026
Start of the Voting Phase. All ideas that have completed both courses and the full EDC will automatically enter the voting stage and be published on the public website.
5 June 2026
End of the Voting Phase. Voting remains open until midnight, after which it will close. Votes will then be verified, and finalists will be announced as soon as possible.
Note: Any form of manipulation or fraud during the voting phase will be strictly monitored. Invalid or fake votes will be removed, and serious violations may result in disqualification. Fair and transparent voting is essential.
6–22 June 2026
Evaluation of votes and jury assessment.
23 June 2026
Announcement of winners.
The top 10 submissions with the most votes will advance to the final stage, where they will be assessed by an expert jury. Entries will be judged on criteria including entrepreneurial vision, feasibility, innovation, leadership, social impact, and sustainability. Winners will be announced on the official blog.
For more information click here