REGIONAL AWARDS

In this section, you will find everything you need to know about the application and selection process for the Regional Awards. We encourage you to consult the application guide containing detailed instructions and application questions and the scoring rubric before you start the online application.

Applications for the 2027 edition will be open from April 16 to June 16, 2026.

The fellows, representing the top three impact businesses from each of the nine regions, will receive:

FINANCIAL CAPITAL SUPPORT

• $ 100,000 USD grant for each first-place awardee

• $ 60,000 USD grant for each second-place awardee

• $ 30,000 USD grant for each third-place awardee

HUMAN CAPITAL SUPPORT

Human capital support is structured into a fellowship program, which includes a combination of 1:1 training and collective workshops.

• Leadership communications and media training workshops

• In-person INSEAD Women's Impact Entrepreneurship Program

• 1:1 training in specific business areas

• 1:1 executive leadership coaching by The Women’s Impact Alliance

SOCIAL CAPITAL SUPPORT

Throughout the program, we strive to highlight the social and environmental impact created by our fellows and bridge connections between women impact entrepreneurs and their supporters.

• International exposure and media visibility

• Support and mentorship by jury members during the fellowship

• Access to a lifelong community of 500+ active community members

• Ongoing support for the development of the fellows’ impact businesses

The Regional Awards of the Cartier Women’s Initiative are looking for women-owned and women-led impact-driven businesses. Entrepreneurs across all sectors and geographies are encouraged to apply. Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply, and every effort will be made to include them appropriately.

To be considered for this award, the applicant and the applicant’s business must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Positive impact: The business should demonstrate that it has realized positive impact in its industry and that it has the potential to realize even more impact as it scales. It should contribute to at least one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations for the year 2030 as a universal call to tackle a range of social, economic and environmental challenges.

For-profit: The business should be designed to generate sufficient revenue to support its operations and return some level of profit to its owners. Non-profit enterprises are not eligible. That said, the business does not have to be profitable at the time of application.

Stage: The business should generate annual revenue between $50,000 USD and $5 million USD, and employ between 5 and 250 team members (i.e. full-time employees, part-time employees, seasonal workers, or contractors).

Fundraising: The business should not have raised more than $2 million USD in dilutive or potentially dilutive funding (i.e. equity, quasi-equity like SAFE or Convertible Notes) as of the date of application. Dilutive funding is any kind of funding that consists of a transfer of the ownership of your company at the time of the funding or in the future under specified terms. Businesses that have not raised any external funding are also encouraged to apply.

Leadership: The applicant must be a woman and fill one of the main leadership positions, for example as CEO, COO, CTO, General Manager, or Managing Director of the business.

Independent entity: The business entity and its finances must be independent from the founder(s). Moreover, it must be an original creation, wholly conceived of by the team; a completely new concept, meaning it cannot be a spin-off or franchise of an existing concept.

Ownership: The business must be incorporated and majority owned by its founders and team members at the time of application. The applicant must be part of the founding team and own a share greater or equal to that of each of her co-founder(s). 

Legal entry age: The applicant must be at least 18 years of age on the day of the application deadline (June 16, 2026).

English proficiency: A good command of the English language is required. We require the Common European Framework of Reference Level B2 or above. This level requires an understanding of the main ideas of complex text, technical discussion in business and your field of specialization, and an ability to interact with fluency and spontaneity with native speakers. English proficiency is important because this is the common language for the Cartier Women's Initiative team, its partners, the jury members and the overall community. Being proficient will allow the fellow to fully participate in the community and in the fellowship.

Time commitment: The applicant must commit to participating in the fellowship program from January 2027 to December 2027.

Phase 1. Communication and Stance (January to May):

• • 2 days of on-site filming featuring the fellow and their business
• • Approximately 20 hours of group workshops

Phase 2. Celebrate and Connect (May / June):

• • A 2.5-day in-person Women's Impact Entrepreneurship program with INSEAD
• • Followed by 4.5 days of CWI Awards Week

Phase 3. Skills and Leadership (June to December):

• • Approximately 28 hours of individual business and leadership coaching

In addition, fellows are required to report on their impact for three years following the completion of their fellowship.

Application: The applicant must be the owner of the application. We accept only one application per business. To determine the category where your business fits the best: refer to FAQ.

To apply, you need to complete the online application form and provide the supporting documentation listed below.

Compulsory

• • A one-minute video of yourself in which you answer the following questions: What is your motivation behind solving the problem that you have identified? What is the impact you wish to create through your solution? What do you wish to gain from, and contribute to, the Cartier Women’s Initiative community?
• • Your resume
• • Your company registration document
• • Your company capitalization table
• • Professionally prepared or audited financial statements from your most recent two fiscal years
• • Your pitch deck: we are not looking for a specific format, just submit an existing pitch deck that accurately describes the impact of your company. This can be an investor presentation or a product presentation (around 15 pages).

Optional

• • Your company's competitive landscape
• • Three additional attachments of your choice: theory of change/impact framework, impact report, image of product, brochure, press, article, research, etc.

These documents must be submitted with the online application and cannot be sent separately.

Impact intentionality and embeddedness

We are looking for impact business that create more impact as they scale. We consider:

• • Motivation: what has driven the founder to start the business?
• • Intentionality: was the business created to solve a social or environmental problem?
• • Embeddedness: is positive impact locked into the business model?

Impact objectives and measurement

We are looking for impact businesses that will help solve the world's pressing social and/or environmental problems. We consider:

• • Problem: to what Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) does the business contribute?
• • Magnitude: is there significant breadth (number of people: local to global) and/or depth (degree of change: marginal to transformational) of impact?
• • Measurement: is the business tracking and managing to optimize impact?
• • Potential impact: is the impact potential and/or already realized?

Market analysis and fit

We are looking for businesses that have operationalized a unique solution to a large, unmet need. We consider:

• • Product-market fit: has the business provided evidence of the market?
• • Competitive advantage: does the business have clear, long-term, defensible competitive advantage?
• • Opportunity: does the market have room for growth and does the business have potential to expand to other geographies?

Sustainable business and financial model

We are looking for businesses that have the potential to be profitable. We consider:

• • Financial sustainability: does the business have sufficient financial return potential to reach profitability?
• • Scalability: is the business model scalable (good margins, unit economics, repeat sales)?
• • Loyalty: is the business likely to retain and upsell existing customers?
• • Well thought-out model: are expectations (sales cycles, price setting, etc.) and models well thought out and defensible?

Strategy and execution

We are looking for businesses with a plan and system to scale. We consider:

• • Growth strategy: does the business have an expansion plan with clear goals and resource requirements?
• • Risk assessment: has the business thoroughly evaluated risks and designed mitigation measures?
• • Monitoring systems: does the business have dynamic mechanisms to monitor execution?

Team

We are looking for a capable team to build the business. We consider:

• • Complementarity: is the team diverse, with 2-4 members who complement each other?
• • Technical skill: does the team have relevant technical/leadership skills and experience?
• • Track record: does the team have track record of execution and/or significant achievement?
• • Network: does the team have relevant networks and advisors?

Leadership character of the applicant

We are looking for bold impact leaders, who can attract talent and foster purpose-driven team culture. We consider:

• • Entrepreneurial spirit: does the applicant display integrity, motivation and high energy, entrepreneurial approach?
• • Cartier values: does the applicant display the following character traits: Curiosity, Open-mindedness, Generosity, Sharing, Respect, Rigor, Independence?
• • Commitment to our vision: is the applicant committed to the Cartier Women’s Initiative vision?