Call for Entries for the “Social Entrepreneur of the Year” India 2012 Awards

Jubilant Bhartia Foundation and Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship are pleased to invite entries for the prestigious ‘Social Entrepreneur of The Year’ Award 2012 for India.

Social entrepreneurs working to create large-scale systemic change through innovative approaches are invited to log in at http://www.schwabfoundseoy.org/en/account/login to apply for the awards before May 30, 2012.

Applicants can also download the application form and view the selection criteria, the selection process and read about the benefits of the Award by visiting http://www.schwabfoundseoy.org/india or http://www.jubilantbhartiafoundation.com/recognising-social-entrepreneurs.html.

The Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award celebrates leading social entrepreneurs who are diligently building solutions for unaddressed communities to ensure inclusive and equitable growth. The finalists of the Award are selected after an intensive search and selection process including expert reviews, site visits and a presentation before a high-powered jury. The winner of the Award this year will be announced at a ceremony coinciding with the India Economic Summit in November 2012 in New Delhi.

Social Entrepreneurs are innovators who implement practical and sustainable solutions to address challenges of inclusive growth in unaddressed segments. They build and scale innovations in such intractable areas as health, education, environment, job creation and access to technology. Whether they set up for-profit entities, hybrid social ventures or not-for-profit organizations, their primary focus is large-scale transformational social change. Social entrepreneurs build revenue streams for their ventures through the sale of products and services, fees or by developing key partnerships with the public sector and philanthropists to achieve sustainability.

The Award Benefits – All finalists of the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, 2012 will be invited to participate in the India Economic Summit in November 2012 in New Delhi. The winner will join Schwab Foundation’s global community of social entrepreneurs, and will participate in the annual and regional meetings of the World Economic Forum, which offer unprecedented opportunities to engage with global decision makers from the public, corporate, media and academic sectors.

The Winner and Finalists of the 2011 Awards – In 2011, Ms Neelam Chhiber of Industree Crafts Pvt Ltd. (Brand- Mother Earth) and Industree Crafts Foundation received the Award from Mr. Prithvi Raj Chavan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Mr. Ashwani Kumar, Minister of State for Planning, Science, Technology and Earth Sciences of India.

According to Ms Chibber, “The SEOY 2011 award was an extremely significant recognition of India’s artisanal sector. The award put the spotlight on one of India’s largest asset bases, a highly skilled and talented mass of more than 40 million people, scattered across 6 lakh villages with no common voice.”

She further added, “Full credit goes to Jubilant Bhartia Foundation for partnering with the Schwab Foundation to provide social entrepreneurs of India timely exposure and connections with policy makers, media and other potential partners.”

The finalists of the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2011 included Matthew Spacie of Magic Bus, Gyanesh Pandey of Husk Power Systems and Sudesh Menon of Waterlife India Pvt Ltd.

Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is a sister organization of the World Economic Forum. The Foundation provides unique regional and global platforms to promote social entrepreneurship as a key element to advancing societies and addressing social problems innovatively and effectively. It also fosters a close-knit community of social entrepreneurs for idea exchange and replication of best practices.

Jubilant Bhartia Foundation (JBF) established in 2007, is the not for profit organization of the Jubilant Bhartia Group. It focuses on conceptualizing and implementing the Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives for the Group. The Jubilant Bhartia Foundation’s activities include various community development work, health care programs, cultural and sports events, an environment preservation initiative, vocational training, women empowerment and educational activities.

Since 2010, JBF has collaborated with the Schwab Foundation to provide leading Indian social entrepreneurs unparalleled platforms and connections with business and government at the national level.

Start Up! is an angel investor, incubator and advisor to social entrepreneurs. It leads the outreach, due diligence and jury presentation of the Awards on behalf of the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation.

For more information contact:

Start Up!

Manisha Gupta – 9810414441

Saloni Gupta – 8800322658