Deadline: August 15, 2022
Shell LiveWIRE’s Top Ten Innovators is a global competition that highlights and rewards impactful and innovative LiveWIRE entrepreneurs.
For 40 years, Shell LiveWIRE has strengthened local economies around the world by promoting meaningful employment and entrepreneurship which demonstrates Shell’s commitment to Powering Lives. Today we remain just as committed to supporting the countries and communities where we operate by supporting local entrepreneurs that are making a positive impact.
One important way that we have been able to recognise impactful entrepreneurs is through our Top Ten Innovators competition, which I am delighted to announce will return in 2022.
Top Ten Innovators is a global competition designed to highlight and reward impactful Shell LiveWIRE entrepreneurs who are making positive contributions toward social impact, environmental sustainability, and business innovation.
The competition will be open to LiveWIRE entrepreneurs from around the world whose businesses are helping us to move toward an economy that prioritises these three important themes.
In line with the global objectives of LiveWIRE, the three awards categories for the 2022 TTI are:
- Social Impact
- Environmental Sustainability
- Business Innovation
We are also pleased to announce the launch of a fourth award category for Outstanding Achievement for a Shell LiveWIRE Implementing Partner.
Benefits
- Top Ten Innovators awards prizes across the categories that are open to entrepreneurs.
- Each category will have one winner and two runners-up.
- The winners will receive USD $20,000 and runners-up will receive USD $10,000. All nine winners will receive mentoring support for a year.
- Each category will also include four honourable mentions and winner based on the highest number of public votes.
- All shortlisted entrepreneurs will benefit from promotion on Shell communication channels during the competition
- The Outstanding Achievement for a LiveWIRE Implementing Partner
- The winner of the Outstanding Implementing Partner award will receive a capacity-building award.
Category 1
Social Impact
Enterprises whose business supports the local community in which they operate and addresses social issues such as unemployment, inequality, hunger, poverty, and lack of access to social services.
Businesses that have a positive impact on vulnerable people (e.g. youth, women, persons with disabilities, indigenous communities, marginalised and/or discriminated communities, low-income groups). They can be the beneficiaries of a product or service provided, or be participants in an inclusive business model (e.g. employees, suppliers).
Social impact can be created via:
- Local job creation;
- Creating products or services for vulnerable groups;
- Sourcing from low-income communities;
- Last mile distribution (logistics and processes for products and services reaching target customers, mostly vulnerable groups);
- Financial inclusion;
- Education and literacy;
- Women’s empowerment;
- Health & safety;
- Agriculture & food business models that empower smallholder farmers and microenterprises.
Category 2
Environmental Sustainability
Enterprises that are operating in a way that is preserving the environment and/or are providing a solution to protect the environment in areas such as waste reduction, CO2 emissions reduction, circular economy, and natural resources management.
Positive environmental impact can be created through:
- Sustainable packaging;
- Sourcing locally;
- Solutions to eliminate waste and turn it into a new resource (Circular Economy);
- Innovative re-use models (Circular Economy);
- Solutions that minimise water usage;
- Solutions that protect and enhance biodiversity;
- Clean-energy generation or powered solutions;
- Energy efficiency;
- Low-carbon transport solutions.
Category 3
Business Innovation
Enterprises that can demonstrate innovation in their business model and/or in their products/services.
Business model and product/service innovations may include but are not limited to:
- Innovative solutions for sourcing, distribution along supply chains, and reaching customers strategy;
- Leveraging e-commerce and digital marketing to reach new markets;
- App development in key sectors – e.g., AgriTech, ClimateTech, EdTech, HealthTech, etc.;
- Showcasing technology in emerging and rural markets (e.g. AI, robotic process automation, blockchain, big data and analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, smart sensors, location detection technologies, etc.).
Category 4
Outstanding Achievement for a LiveWIRE Implementing Partner
This award recognises the innovation of our implementing partners that deliver the LiveWIRE programme. We want to promote implementing partners’ best practices in understanding the needs of the Shell LiveWIRE participants, adapting to them, and demonstrating a positive impact.
The winning implementing partner will be selected based on the following criteria:
- Innovative programme design and training methodologies;
- Positive community impact and outreach; strong M&E systems that demonstrate impact;
- Innovative communication strategies to share local impact stories;
- Adaptability to challenging environments;
- Diversity and inclusion;
- Commitment to SLW global vision and objectives;
- Strong brand recognition to their country’s SLW programme
