2015 European Social Innovation Competition

The 2015 European Social Innovation Competition closed on 8 May. A total of 1 408 ideas were received.

The three prizes of €50,000 will be awarded in November 2015.

Seeking new ways to grow
The EU requires growth that sustains not only financial value, but also social progress for citizens, government and enterprises alike. However, current models of growth are no longer deemed fit for a society where scarcity is the new reality and where too many people are left behind. New collaborations and alternative ways to grow are needed for sustainable value and an inclusive society, in Europe today.

Watch the promotional video:

Based around the theme ‘New Ways to Grow‘ the competition aims to support individuals and organisations with entrepreneurial, game changing ideas for social innovation projects.

Competition Details
The Competition launched on 23 March in Gdansk, Poland.
The Competition invited Europeans to come up with game changing ideas that could advance Europe’s growth model, for example:

• Challenge the assumptions upon which economic growth is usually conceived (e.g. the trend for sharing and collaborative economy);
• Question supply chain, production and delivery modes, or use of mainstream products or services (e.g. circular economy);
• Conceive new technologies or propose smarter use of existing technologies for the benefit of society (e.g. internet of things or 3D-printing);
• Generate new solutions and approaches for societal challenges of today and the future.

Selected by a jury, the European Commission will award the three top ideas a prize of €50,000 each in Brussels in November 2015. The competition also includes a strong mentoring component for semi-finalists to progress their ideas.

The name of semi-finalists should be announced in mid-July 2015. They will be invited to take part in a social innovation academy to be held in Vienna from 7-9 September. This year’s academy will be held in a very special place, Magdas Hotel, a finalist of the first ever Competition in 2013!