The Finalists and Laureates of the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards are chosen by an independent and voluntary Jury who evaluates the projects based on criteria of creativity, sustainability and social impact.



The five jury panels - Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America - are composed of men and women, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship experts and corporate executives with senior positions in business, the non profit sector and academia. They are chosen on the basis of their entrepreneurial experience, their business achievements and their commitment to the support of women entrepreneurs. The Jury's involvement is long-term and voluntary.

Phase 1: Selection of the 15 Finalists
Each regional Jury panel selects the top three projects of their continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America), fifteen worldwide, by grading each chapter of the application form (executive summary, market and competition, management team…). These Finalists are announced in June on this website. They receive a short feedback from the Jury to take into account for the next round and during the coaching phase.

Phase 2: Selection of the 5 Laureates
Early September, the Juries receive the detailed business plan of each finalist. This document of 50 pages including annexes is carefully examined by the Juries individually.In October, the Finalists are invited to France to present their project in front of their continental Jury panel. A questions and answers session follows each verbal presentation.
Based on the quality of the plan and the persuasiveness of the verbal presentation, one Laureate for each of the five regions is selected.
In case of disagreement, the Jury President makes the final decision.
The announcement of the Laureates takes place in October at the Annual Global Meeting of the Women's Forum in Deauville, France.

Jury Profiles