ISB iDiya  (India)

Website: http://www.isb.edu/iDiya/
About: ISB iDiya Challenge has been conceptualised to encourage the social entrepreneurship paradigm amongst youth in India. It endeavours to bring together entrepreneurs, mentors and investors to help create sustainable and scalable businesses that have a positive social impact.
Participants: The challenge is aimed at working professionals in India. Teams of 2 to 4 individuals can participate. No team member must be currently enrolled in an educational institution pursuing a full-time program.
Award: A one-week all expenses paid BootCamp for the top six teams where you will meet industry leaders, venture capitalists and business mentors + mentoring support after the competition. Top 20 ideas will be showcased on the iDiya website. Cash rewards : Winner – Rs. 100,000, Runners-up – Rs. 50,000, 2nd Runners-up – Rs. 20,000, 4th,5th,6th – Rs. 10,000 each
Application deadline: September 19, 2010

Verizon - Social Entrepreneurship Competition  (India)

Website: http://www.techfest.org/initiatives/prayaas/verizon/
About: VeriZon is a competition for social entrepreneurship, inviting solutions for some existing problems that can bring about a social change. Ideas for change which may range from for-profit businesses with a strong social responsibility to non-profit models with sustainable revenue generation.
Participants: Open for any students in the US, India and China
Award: Prizes worth INR 1,00,000
Application deadline: August 25th, 2010

The Great Power Race (US, India, China)

Website: http://www.greatpowerrace.org/
About: The Great Power Race is a clean energy competition between students in China, India, and the United States. The aim is to kick-start hundreds of new climate solution projects on campuses and in communities in all three countries and to demonstrate to governments and businesses our generation's leadership in transforming our world towards a green economy.
Participants: Open for any students in the US, India and China
Award: N/A
Application deadline: N/A

Queen’s Entrepreneurs’ Competition (The QEC) (Global)

Website: http://www.theqec.com
About: The QEC is the foremost international undergraduate business plan competition in Canada, organised entirely by students.
Participants: Open for undergraduate students from all faculties
Award: $25,000 in cash prizes
Application deadline: 5th November 2010

Sitaram Rao Livelihoods India Case Study Competition 2010  (India)

Website: http://accessdev.org/livelihoodsindia/case-study-competition#annual
About: This case study competition has been designed and initiated by ACCESS Development Services to identify innovative models and practices that have significantly contributed to the livelihoods of the poor in India. The 2010 theme of the competition is "Power of aggregation: Poor in agriculture" and intends to bring together learning from various experiences and innovations across the sector
Participants: The competition welcomes entries from Indian as well as foreign nationals and applicants may be management professionals, practitioners, academicians, researchers or B- school students.
Award: First Prize: Rs. 1,00,000, Second Prize: Rs. 75,000, Third Prize: Rs. 50,000
Application deadline: 17th June 2010

Mass Challenge (Global)

Website: http://www.masschallenge.org/
About: MassChallenge is an organization that is running a global startup competition to connect high impact entrepreneurs to the resources they need to launch their business. Mass challenge is a accelerator program and competition with the goal to support high-potential seed and early stage startups. Important: US Participants have to pay an entry fee; the entry fee for international participants has been waived as long as you email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and ask for an endorsement.
Participants: Anyone can enter from anywhere in the world with any idea
Award: $1million in cash prizes, top mentors, premium office space and other free resources
Application deadline: 11th June 2010

World Challenge (Global)

Website: http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk
About: World Challenge is a global competition aimed at finding projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grassroots level. We are looking for your nominations for innovative projects or ideas that demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit working for the benefit of the community whilst adopting a responsible approach,  that show initiative, the innovative use of technology or an invention and projects/small businesses that take a responsible approach to the environment in which they are operating. Its not for drawing board ideas. They need to see that something is happening.
Participants: any project/ business in the areas of community welfare, water, environment, sustainable farming, health & education
Award: Winner of the World Challenge 2010 will receive a grant of US$20,000. The second and third Finalist will each receive a grant US$10,000.
Application deadline: 13th June 2010

Oxford University 21st Century Challenge (Global)

Website: http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/CENTRES/ENTREPRENEURSHIP/PROGRAMMES/Pages/21stCenturyChallenge.aspx
About: The Oxford University 21st Century Challenge is an international entrepreneurship competition for bold and innovative business ideas that can help to solve some of the key challenges of the 21st Century.
Participants: Entries are accepted from individuals, teams, new companies, existing companies creating spin-offs, students, scientists, academics and entrepreneurs. Regional, national and international participation is encouraged.
Award: N/A
Application deadline: 2010 deadline TBD

Ignite Clean Energy program (Global)

Website: http://www.ignitecleanenergy.com
About: The Ignite Clean Energy (ICE) business plan competition, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is a year long training and competitive forum for entrepreneurs in the clean energy industry.
Participants: An entrant’s business must support a technology, product, or service in the clean energy field and each student team must be comprised of at least two-thirds students.
Award: Cash prizes along with in-kind services such as legal advice, office or incubator space, publicity and marketing, etc.
Application deadline: 2010 deadline TBD

William James Foundation Socially Responsible Business Plan Competition (Global)

Website: www.williamjamesfoundation.org
About: The William James Foundation supports entrepreneurs who are starting for-profit businesses with defined social and/or environmental goals. Competitions have three rounds: Executive Summary, Full Plan, and Public Presentation.
Participants: The business must either not have started yet, or be in start-up phase.
Award: The cash and in-kind prizes as a whole are worth more than $100,000
Application deadline: June 2010

Sustainable Business Plan Ideation (Global)

Website: http://sites.google.com/a/ximb.ac.in/icdcm2010/sustainable-business-plan-ideation
About: Student competition for Sustainable Businesses.
Participants: To particpate in this event, students need to form a team. Team can have 3-4 members. One team is allowed to send maximum of two concept notes.
Award: N/A
Application deadline: May 31, 2010

‘I Am an Entrepreneur’ photography competition (Global)

Website: http://www.sevenfund.org/entrepreneur-image/
About: This competition recognizes the outstanding use of photography to tell compelling stories of role model entrepreneurs from around the world.The objective with this competition is to gather stunning photographs profiling individual entrepreneurs from around the globe.
Participants: Anyone is welcome to participate in this competition.
Award: The competition will award twelve (12) prizes, one per month, over a period of one year. Each month, one finalist will be selected and will receive a prize of $100. The grand prize winner (selected from among the 12 finalist photographs) will receive $1,000 at the end of the year.
Application deadline: Rolling deadline every month

Venture Capital Investment competition (Global)

Website: http://www.vcic.unc.edu/
About: Now in its 11th year, VCIC® has evolved into a marketplace for entrepreneurs seeking investors and a training ground for future venture capitalists. Unlike business plan competitions in which students pitch their own ideas to investors, at VCIC the students are the investors, and real entrepreneurs pitch to them. It is a very powerful learning experience for both parties.
Participants: Open for graduate students from CEIBS, CKGSB, Nanyang, NUS, IIMB, ISB
Award: Investment from participating investors
Application deadline: Rolling deadline

Any competition missing? Email us the details at hello(at)fyse(dot)org

Currently closed Competitions

Global Social Venture Plan Competition (Global)

Website: http://www.isb.edu/GSVC2009/
About: Do you have a great business idea that will have a measurable social impact and will be financially sustainable? GSVC is a business plan competition whose mission is to promote entrepreneurial businesses that satisfy two criteria:
- They have clear and quantifiable social objectives
- They are financially sustainable, in the sense that they are profitable or self-supporting through revenue generation
Participants: One team member must be a current or recent (2 years) graduate business student
Award: $25,000 grand prize
Application deadline: January 2011

New Venture Championship (Global)

Website: http://www.oregonnvc.com
About: Presented by the University of Oregon’s Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship (LCE), the first NVC was held in 1992 in a classroom at the University of Oregon. A result of its intense academic focus and guaranteed interaction with multiple panels of judges in a professional format, NVC is an unmatched experience for any start-up venture team.
Participants: This is a competition for graduate students, and at least one graduate student must be a member of the venture’s startup management team. This competition is for new, independent ventures in the seed, start‐up, or early
growth stages.
Award: $60,000 in cash prizes
Application deadline: February 2011

Asia Moot Corp 2010

Website: http://www.asiamootcorp.org/
About: The competition is for student created, managed, and owned ventures. The competition is for new, independent ventures in the seed, start‐up, or early growth stages.
Participants: The competition is for students enrolled in the current academic year and at least one graduate student must be a member of the venture's startup management team.
Award: Prizes of US$ 7,500 and eligibility to compete at the Global Moot Corp® 2010 competition at the University of Texas at Austinwith up to US$25,000 in total cash prizes.
Application deadline: January 2011

McGinnis Venture Competition (Global)

Website: http://mcginnisventurecompetition.com/AboutUs.html
About: This competition revolves around new technologies. The driving force is pragmatism: helping MBA students move from the dorm room to the board room, bringing new businesses in emerging industries such as ICT, biotechnology, robotics and nanotechnology to life. The business plan must be for a seed, start-up or early stage venture and must address the entire business concept (including implementation). The competition features three tracks: Technology, Life Science and CleanTech
Participants: MBA students
Award: Opportunity to present before venture capitalists, Cash awards (first prize of $20,000) and in-kind prizes for intellectual property and other legal services
Application deadline: February 2011

Rice University Business Plan Competition (Global)

Website: http://www.alliance.rice.edu/alliance/RBPC.asp?SnID=231195864
About: All ventures must be “for profit” entities seeking outside equity capital. The goal of the RBPC is to provide the best overall educational and entrepreneurial experience of any business plan/new venture competition
Participants: Full- and part-time graduate students, not just MBA candidates, enrolled in a university during the academic year 2009-2010. At least one graduate student in the team.
Award: $800,000 in Cash and Prizes
Application deadline: February 2011

Youth Business Development (Global)

Website: http://Youthbusdev.org
About: YBD is a global competition for young entrepreneurs. The competition kicks off with students assembling a core team, identifying an opportunity and submitting a brief write-up of their proposal. The most promising ideas & teams are then paired with Oxford MBA students who jointly develop the ideas into real business plans, submitted for the opportunity to win funding.
Participants: Students between 16-25 are to form groups of 3-5
Award: N/A
Application deadline: Aprl 2011