Awards
The go-to page for answers to all questions relating to the application procedure, application form, eligibility criteria, and more.
Applications for all awards close at 6PM CEST (GMT+2) on June 30, 2023. No applications will be accepted after this deadline.
Please apply for the award that is most relevant to your business. Cartier Women’s Initiative fellowship is part of the award.
You cannot send your application by mail. Only online applications submitted through the application platform and received in the appropriate online format are accepted.
We do not accept business plans. Only online applications submitted through the application platform and received in the appropriate online format are accepted. Please note that we receive more than 1000 applications per year, and are a small team.
Once you submit your application on the online platform, you will receive an automatic confirmation email. Please make sure to safelist notification emails from the application platform we are using.
You will need to refresh the page and possibly sign back into your account depending on your browser’s settings. We recommend you save the information entered manually by clicking on “Save Draft” at the bottom of the application form if your connection is unstable or if you are planning to take a long break while filling out the form. We recommend using Google Chrome for an optimal experience and strongly recommend that you first write out your answers in the worksheet before copy/pasting them into the form.
You are limited to 400MB per file and 800MB per submission. Attachments sent to us by email are not accepted. If you wish to send us a heavy file that contains multiple photos or graphs, we would recommend using Adobe Acrobat to compress the file before uploading it to your application.
We do not accept product samples during the call for applications. However, you may include photos of your product or service in your application form.
We are only able to accept applications in English. A good command of English is needed to fully benefit from the many opportunities and resources the Cartier Women’s Initiative program has to offer. We require the Common European Framework of Reference Level B2 and above. This level requires an understanding of main ideas of complex text, technical discussion in business and your field of specialization, ability to interact with fluency and spontaneity with native speakers. Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply, and every effort will be made to include them appropriately.
If a question does not apply to your business, write 'NA' for 'Not Applicable' and explain why.
Once you have submitted your application, you will no longer be able to make changes. However, you may request permission from the administrator to edit your form if it was submitted before the last day of the call for applications period. To do so, please sign into your Submittable account, go to “My Submissions”, select the submissions and click on “Edit”. The request for editing can only be made once a week directly via Submittable and may take up to 2 business days to be granted. Please note that once the call for applications period has closed, we will not be granting permissions to edit.
Applicants may only enter one business.
No, you may only apply to one award. Businesses that submit applications to multiple award categories will be disqualified.
For the Regional Awards, we are looking for early-stage impact businesses that have gained some traction by validating product/market fit in targeted segment, validating their business and financial model and that are generating revenue. These businesses tend to be innovating on business model and distribution of product and services.
If your company is based on the development of a pioneering new technology, a complex engineering process, or a scientific discovery (and not only on a disruptive business model), we would recommend applying to the Science & Technology Pioneer Award. If your company is leveraging an existing technology, process or model but applying it in a novel way, we would recommend applying to the Regional Awards.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award is designed for businesses that are working on closing gaps of access, outcome or opportunity for underserved or underrepresented communities. Underserved or underrepresented communities might vary according to geographies. These communities suffer from discrimination based on different dimensions of diversity such as age, gender, sexual orientation, abilities (physical and mental), ethnicity, geographic location or religion. This list is not exhaustive. Gaps of access, outcome or opportunity, as they relate to levels of income/income inequality, are also eligible but the applicant should seek to address they are related to existing discrimination based on internal dimension(s) of diversity. Otherwise, the business would be a better fit for the Regional Awards.
If your business was not selected in any prior edition, you may apply again this year. We consider all applicants that have been selected as fellows to be ineligible for future editions.
The information you provide in your application will be available to third-party organizations in charge of:
- Managing the online application platform
- Reviewing and evaluating your application
- Supporting you and your business as part of the Fellowship program
Please note that they all sign our Non-Disclosure Agreement. However, if you believe some information might be too sensitive (because of a pending patent for example), we advise that you get legal advice first.
Applicants will be notified of their application status by December 2023. The fellows will then be announced in April 2024.