Are you a social entrepreneur between the age of 18 and 34? Do you happen to come from any of those countries: UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, or the Netherlands? Do you have a concept for a cool new sustainable business? And one more: Do you like ice cream? We thought so. Then don’t miss your chance to apply for Ben & Jerry’s Join Our Core entrepreneurship award!
How it works
The application window is divided into two: 10 April is the deadline for all early bird submissions – the first 100 to apply will secure an entire year of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream supply, while the final deadline is 3 May (17:00 GMT). This year, the organisers have expanded the number of countries allowed to participate in the competition by including Finland, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland to the original five. Although entrants must live in one of these countries, their business can have impact anywhere around the world.
In order to be considered, entrants need to incorporate social, environmental, and financial sustainability into their business models, in line with Ben & Jerry’s values and mission. Also, all applications must be submitted in English.
The selection process
Ben & Jerry’s co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield will be working closely together with social enterprise experts Ashoka to select 18 finalists by the end of May. Then, it will be up to the panel of judges to choose the final nine winners – one from each participating country, who will be named on 12 June. You can find a list of last year’s winners here.
The prizes
All nine winners will receive €10,000 to boost their business together with six months of mentoring by Ashoka. Also, their business will be featured on a Ben & Jerry’s flavour in 2014 – so make sure you have a favourite!
More about social entrepreneurship in Austria is available here.
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