Europe urgently needs more innovators to stay competitive in the coming decades and to spur economic growth. The large number of well-educated women who, for various reasons, including lack of awareness, do not consider entrepreneurship as an option, represents a tremendous untapped pool of innovation.

Awards have a strong potential to drive innovation through the recognition of achievements and the promotion of role models. Therefore, the European Commission created in 2011 a Prize for Women Innovators to increase public awareness of this issue and to encourage women to exploit the commercial and business opportunities and become entrepreneurs.

After the success of the forerunners of the contest in 2011, 2014 and 2016, the Commission intends to continue its drive to spotlight women researchers who have brought outstanding innovations to the market.

For the 4th the EC wants to highlight the outstanding achievements of women innovators who have (co-) founded a successful company and brought an innovation to market and benefitted from Research and Innovation funding from the public or private sector.

The Commission  will award up to three "EU Prize for Women Innovators" and one "Rising Innovator Award" following a European-wide contest. New in this edition, young innovators (>35y) at the start of their careers can win the new prize for the Rising Innovator 2017!

First Prize            100 000 EUR

Second Prize         50 000 EUR

Third Prize             30 000 EUR

Rising Innovators  20 000 EUR

The contestant must be an ordinary resident in an EU Member State or a country associated to Horizon 2020.

Source: Innovation Union