The European Social Innovation Competition (EUSIC) is a challenge prize run by the European Commission across all EU countries and Horizon 2020 associated countries. Organised in memory of Diogo Vasconcelos, the competition calls all Europeans to come up with solutions to the problems affecting our society.
The 2020 competition, Reimagine Fashion, is calling for ideas and ventures that aim to improve the environmental and social impact of the European fashion market through the development of new products, services and processes, and innovative business models.
The innovations should aim to reduce the overall environmental footprint and improve the societal impact of the fashion market, help make it more accessible and fairer, and aspire to change behaviours in a sustainable way. Solutions should clearly aim to deliver impact, pursue sustainability, and be scalable or replicable post-competition - at local, national or European level. Further background on the theme of the competition is available on the EUSIC website.
We're looking for ideas from one or more of the fields listed below and we encourage solutions that address several of these areas through a systems perspective.
The competition has three phases.
Phase 1: Out of the total of eligible entries received by the deadline, 30 semi-finalists will be selected to receive mentoring support and further progress their ideas. They will be invited to take part in a 'Social Innovation Academy' in The Netherlands in July 2020 and to network with other European organisations and potential partners in their field.
Phase 2: Out of the 30 semi-finalists, 10 finalists will be invited to the awards ceremony where the three final winners will be announced and receive a prize of €50,000 each.
Phase 3: In 2021, the competition amongst the 30 semi-finalists will be re-opened and will award the 2020 project that will have achieved the most significant results with an 'impact prize' of €50,000.
To select the best entries throughout the competition, the European Commission is supported by an external jury of experts.
The competition is open to individuals, groups and organisations across the European Union and in countries participating in the European Horizon 2020 programme (see list). The application period ends on 4 March 2020, noon (CET).
The competition is governed by the rules of contest below, these are specified in the FAQs.
The competition for the impact prize 2020 will be re-opened in the coming months. 2019 semi-finalists will be contacted directly by the competition organisers with more information on the steps to take.
The European social innovation competition has been organised since 2012 in memory of Diogo Vasconcelos. Take a look at the previous competitions:
Follow our #diogochallenge journey on Twitter: @EUSocialInnov or see the European Social Innovation Competition 2020 website.
For questions about the competition, please email: info@socialinnovationprize.eu
