Shell LiveWIRE calls an application for the Top Ten Innovators Competition. By competing in the Top Ten Innovators competition, entrepreneurs have the chance to receive prize funding, direct mentoring support from Shell staff, and the opportunity to integrate within and benefit from vast market linkages within Shell’s global network.

Theme and Categories

The 2020 theme is “Creating a More Liveable World.”  Three separate award categories will focus on different elements of sustainability:

• Energy Transition: Enterprises that are providing disruptive innovations within the clean energy space.
• Environment & Circular Economy: Enterprises that help shift the world to a circular economy future to deliver positive environmental change.
• Local Prosperity: Enterprises that help power human progress and deliver positive social change and/or economic growth in the communities.

Benefits 

• Top Ten Innovators awards prizes across three categories. Each category will have one winner and two runners up where the winners will receive the US $20,000 and runners-up will receive the US $10,000.
• In light of the Covid-19 crisis, transformational solutions that address the direct and indirect impacts of the pandemic will be highly valued: one Outstanding Achievement Award will be given to an enterprise that has significantly contributed to combatting these socio-economic impacts, within any of the above themes.
• Furthermore, all ten finalists will receive: mentoring support by a Shell expert, the opportunity to benefit from market linkages via Shell’s global network, global exposure, and the possibility to be considered as a vendor to Shell or Shell’s customers.

Timeline

• 1 May: Application opens
  10 June: Application deadline
  29 June: Shortlisted applicants announced
  29 June – 31 July: Shortlisted applicants submit additional info
  6 – 15 July: Public voting
  16 – 22 Nov: Top Ten Innovators announced

Eligibilities 

In order to apply for Shell LiveWIRE Top Ten Innovators Competition, candidates

• Must have participated in a LiveWIRE or affiliated program after January 2015.
• Must be an innovative enterprise (including production innovation, process innovation, and business model innovation), and their enterprise fits within one of the three sustainability categories.
• Should have an enterprise is a registered business and this registration occurred within the last five years (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and/or 2019).
• Should have a business bank account.
• Furthermore, if your business produces a product, you have (at least) a working prototype.

Useful Links

• Application guidelines
• Frequently asked questions