European Prize for Women Innovators 2027: up to €100,000, applications until 1 December

The European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) opened applications for the European Prize for Women Innovators 2027 on 2 September 2026. The prizes total €420,000, and the largest, for first place in the Women Innovators category, is €100,000. Women who have founded or co-founded an innovative company in the EU or in a country associated with Horizon Europe, including Romania, can apply until 1 December 2026, 17:00 (Brussels time).

This is not a grant for a project: the prize rewards results already achieved, and the application is submitted individually, as a natural person, with no consortium and no expenditure budget.

In brief

• Programme: Horizon Europe – European Prize for Women Innovators 2027 (HORIZON-EIC-2026-PRIZE-WIP and HORIZON-EIT-2026-PRIZE-WIP)
• Authority: European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), together with the EIT
• Beneficiaries: women founders or co-founders of a company or organisation registered before 1 January 2025
• Total budget: €420,000, divided into three categories
• Prize amounts: €100,000, €70,000 and €50,000 for Women Innovators; €50,000, €30,000 and €20,000 each for Rising Innovators and for EIT Women Leadership
• Submission period: 2 September – 1 December 2026, 17:00 CET
• Status: open; evaluation takes place from December 2026 to April 2027, and the results and prizes are announced between April and June 2027

Who can apply?

According to the contest rules (Rules of Contest, version 1.0 of 2 September 2026), the applicant must:

• be a woman and apply as a natural person, not on behalf of the company; applications submitted with the PIC code of a legal entity are rejected;
• be legally resident in an EU Member State or in a country associated with Horizon Europe;
• be the founder or co-founder of the company or organisation; self-employment is not accepted, so a PFA (sole trader) does not qualify;
• the company must be registered in an eligible country before 1 January 2025;
• not already have received an EU or Euratom prize for the same activities.

For the Rising Innovators category, the applicant must have been born on or after 1 January 1991. There is no age limit for Women Innovators. EIT Women Leadership requires a direct link with the EIT community, for example an acceleration programme of an EIT KIC, funding from a KIC or completion of an educational programme carrying the EIT label.

Each applicant may apply to only one category. If you submit to several, only the last application is taken into account. Joint applications are not accepted either: co-founders of the same company apply separately.

How are applications evaluated?

The jury awards scores on three criteria, each marked from 0 to 10:

• Breakthrough innovation: the company develops a radical innovation, with an emphasis, among other things, on deep tech and STEM fields, and the applicant shows how it differs from existing solutions;
• Impact: the innovation meets a real need, and the company's performance and growth produce socio-economic or environmental effects (well-being, education, profit, jobs);
• Inspiration: the applicant played a decisive role in the company's success and is a role model for other women, for example by promoting gender balance.

The minimum threshold is 6 points on each criterion and 18 points out of 30 in total. In the event of a tie, the “Impact” criterion has a weighting of 2 and “Inspiration” has a weighting of 1.5. If a category receives more than 500 applications, a pre-selection takes place first. The highest-ranked applicants, up to six in each category, are invited to an interview with the jury in Brussels, which may also be held remotely.

How and by when do you apply?

1. Create an EU Login account and register as a natural person in the Participant Register. You will receive a 9-digit PIC code. Registration must be completed before the deadline and is validated by the Commission's central service.
2. On the call page in the Funding & Tenders portal, complete Part A, with the administrative details, online.
3. Download the template for Part B (technical description), complete it in a maximum of 15 pages and upload it as a PDF.
4. Attach a video of up to 90 seconds (under 100 MB, in a .zip archive) in which you present yourself and your achievements. For Rising Innovators, proof of age is added, and for EIT Women Leadership, proof of the link with the EIT community.

The application may be written in any official EU language, but the summary must be in English, and the Commission recommends that the whole application be in English. Until the deadline, the application can be amended and resubmitted. The deadline is not extended. The money is paid after the award ceremony, if all the required documents have been submitted.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation: the prize suits founders who already have measurable results, such as a product on the market, customers, revenue, employees, patents or investment attracted. A good idea without traction has little chance on the “Impact” criterion, which counts double in a tie-break. If the company was registered after 1 January 2025, you do not meet the conditions this year.

• Do not leave registration to the last day. Validation as a natural person in the Participant Register may require additional documents.
• Treat the video as an elimination test. The jury scores it together with the form. In 90 seconds you must clearly convey the problem solved, the results and your role.
• Back everything up with figures. For “Impact”, describe the company's progress in concrete terms. For “Inspiration”, give verifiable examples: mentoring, gender balance policies in the team, community involvement.
• Choose a single category. If you are under 35, in Rising Innovators you compete with a smaller group, but the prizes are lower.

For project funding, not recognition, check whether the company fits the programmes open now using the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to spend the prize on a specific project?

No. It is a recognition prize for results already achieved. You do not submit a budget and do not have to justify expenditure. Winners must promote the prize and mention EU support in their communications.

Can I apply if I am a PFA or a freelancer?

No. The rules state that self-employment is not accepted. You must be a founder or co-founder of a company or organisation registered before 1 January 2025.

Do I apply, or does my company?

You apply yourself, as a natural person, with a personal PIC code. Applications submitted with the company's PIC code are rejected as ineligible.

Can two co-founders of the same company apply together?

Joint applications are not accepted. Each co-founder may apply separately, but each to only one category.

When will I find out the results?

Evaluation takes place between December 2026 and April 2027, and the results and prizes are announced between April and June 2027. The EIC page announces the award ceremony for June 2027.

Official sources

• EIC – announcement of the launch of the 2027 edition (2 September 2026)
• EIC – European Prize for Women Innovators page
• Rules of Contest – The European Prize for Women Innovators 2027 (v1.0, 2 September 2026)
• Funding & Tenders Portal – call HORIZON-EIC-2026-PRIZE-WIP

Information checked on 28 September 2026. Conditions may be amended by the managing authority — check the guide in force before submitting.