Better Life Program for the African Rural Woman
Innovative Entrepreneur Award 2023
BLP INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
At the heart of every start-up or enterprise is the drive to solve a problem. Better Life Program for the African Rural Woman believes that women have the potential to create solutions and take on the world’s major challenges. Some women have leveraged technology to address some factors inhibiting the success of businesses in Nigeria like access to market, finance etc. The BLPARW Innovative Entrepreneur Award will highlight the work of evolutionary female entrepreneurs who have leveraged technology and will stand as an inspiration for others.
The goal of the BLPARW Innovative Entrepreneur Award is to inspire female entrepreneurs in Africa to develop businesses, create jobs and improve lives.
The Award recognizes businesses that have positive impacts on vulnerable people and have demonstrated innovation and talented women entrepreneurs who are leveraging the use of technology in business. The Award celebrates, support and champion women in business and female entrepreneurs across industries and highlights women who consistently demonstrate exceptional growth, change or impact.
It provides an opportunity to raise the profile of women, celebrate achievement and showcase success.
Selection Criteria
- Breakthrough Innovation: The company founded or co-founded by the applicant provides innovative product or service in the market
- Impact-The product or service addresses a specific societal need or challenge with significant benefit for people
- Inspiration-The applicant has played a pivotal role in the successes of the company and considers themselves a role model for other women and girls.
Award categories
The Award will be segmented into two major categories
ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARD CATEGORY
Based on nominations, 7 Nominees will be selected from the following categories.
1. Innovator of the Year
This award celebrates entrepreneurs behind game changing innovations. Entrepreneurs who have founded a successful company and the entrepreneur must show drive and ambition, must be customer eccentric. The entrepreneur must have developed a new idea and challenged invisible orthodoxies, harnessed underappreciated trends and leveraged embedded competencies and assets.
2. Disruptor of the Year
This award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional creativity, originality and entrepreneurial spirit in their pursuit of new ideas and innovative solutions. Nominees of this award should have shown willingness to challenge conventional thinking and disrupt established business models, leading to significant changes and advancement in their communities. The entrepreneur must have identified a gap between what has been conventionally offered to the marketplace and what customer trends are dictating and bridge that gap.
3. Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year
This award recognizes entrepreneurs that are committed to creating quality products or services sustainably, have a clear road map and helping to tackle climate change and educate customers or clients on environmental sustainability.
4. Green Entrepreneur of the Year
This award celebrates the most innovative and promising locally led enterprise in sustainable development. Enterprises that prevent or minimize damages caused by global warming, enterprises that provide solutions to respond to the effects of climate change or prepare for future impacts.
5. Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year
The Start-up entrepreneur of the year celebrates entrepreneurs who have been in business for 1-3 years and have received great success and respect, entrepreneurs who bridge a gap.
6. Scale-Up Entrepreneur of the Year
The scale-up entrepreneur of the year award celebrates entrepreneurs who have expanded their businesses and have achieved at least 20% growth in three years with at least 10 employees.
7. Small Online Business of the Year
This award category celebrates entrepreneurs who have strong online presence and thriving without necessarily owning a physical store. Entrepreneurs who leverage on marketing mix.
SPECIAL AWARD CATEGORY
Nominees from African countries that are exceptional in their businesses will be awarded Entrepreneur of the year. 7 African Countries with the most nominations will be considered for the special award category. This award category will be tagged” Entrepreneur of the Year” of 7 the selected countries.
A total of 14 nominees will be awarded, each category will attract the sum of $1000, making a total of $14,000 for the 14 categories.
Nominations
Nominations are now closed!!
Thank you for your interest in the Better Life Program for the African Rural Woman Innovative Entrepreneur Award 2023