Open Call: RISE ALUMNI Awards

ARNO is proud to share the second Open Call for RISE ALUMNI Awards! Building a strong community of young social entrepreneurs in the Western Balkans is our direction, and we call all RISErs from RISE Journey 3 and RISE Journey 4 to apply. *The Call is available only in English. 

1. ABOUT THE RISE ALUMNI AWARDS

RISE is not just a program for social entrepreneurs; it is a community of young social innovators and leaders changing the region with their ideas and actions. In the previous 5 RISE Journeys, RISE has supported 500 young people and 170 ideas from every corner of the Western Balkans. We are delighted to witness their growth and impact, and we remain committed to our mission to strengthen this community.

For this reason, the RISE project is launching the RISE alumni awards. The RISE alumni awards symbolize the strong belief and hope that the RISE partners place in its young social entrepreneurs. These awards are not only a recognition of RISErs’ achievements but also a means to offer further support. They are intended for motivated alumni who continue with their journey in the social entrepreneurship world and who want to grow, scale, and enlarge their impact. The awards will grant two (2) RISE alumni teams from the Western Balkan region an additional €5,000 for further development of their ideas/social enterprises.

2. WHO CAN APPLY?

The RISE alumni awards are open to all RISE alumni teams from RISE Journey 3 and RISE Journey 4.

To apply, the teams should:

• Be a RISE alumnus (pitched on the Demo Day) – from RISE Journey 3 or RISE Journey 4 (Open Call of 2022-2023 and 2023-2024)
• Apply with the same idea/social enterprise as in the RISE Journey (new ideas/social enterprises are not supported. Priority will be given to the ideas with a stronger regional component).
• Have already developed at least a prototype of their product or service.
• Have a continuous activity since completing the RISE Journey (economic – sales or non-economic – participation in other incubation or acceleration programs, training, conferences, media presence, etc.)
• Have a strong ambition and detailed plan for the development of their social enterprise/idea and expenditure of the RISE Alumni Award.
• Have a good command of the English language (at least the person who will pitch in front of the jury).
• Be available to participate online in the pitching session in mid-September.  

3. PRE-SELECTION PROCESS

Here are the steps for the process:

1. All interested RISE Journey 3 and RISE Journey 4 teams need to submit their applications by filling out the following Application Form by September 6, 23.59h.
2. ARNO will create an Evaluation Commission that will pre-select one (1) RISE team from North Macedonia, who will compete with the rest of the selected alumni teams from the Western Balkans. 
3. In total, 6 RISE alumni teams from the Western Balkans will pitch online in mid-September. *Please note that pitching sessions for pre-selection will not be organized (read: teams need to have solid/convincing applications)
4. The selected RISE team will be timely notified by ARNO and given further instructions for the online pitching. 

4. CRITERIA FOR PRE-SELECTION

The Evaluation Commission will deliberate the decision based on the following criteria:

• Motivation and ambition of the RISE alumni team
• Quality of the plan for the development of the idea/social enterprise (projected activities)
• Capacity for absorption of the award and the quality of the expenditure plan (projected financial structure)
• Potential for sustainability, scaling, and replication of the idea/social enterprise in the region
• Potential for the creation of additional jobs (especially inclusion of the beneficiaries and target groups)

Additional criteria: advantage will be given to ideas in an advanced stage or already registered entities, ideas with proof of concept, or ideas/entities that have secured further funding for developing their social enterprise.  (read: RISE teams that made progress after the RISE Journey)

5. PITCHING SESSION – ONLINE – mid-September 

The pre-selected team will be invited to participate in an online pitching session in mid-September (date TBC), competing with the rest of the RISE alumni teams from the Western Balkans. In total, 6 RISE teams from the region will compete for the two (2) RISE Alumni Awards.  

The working language of the online pitching session is English (without exceptions).

The teams will pitch their idea/social enterprise in front of a Regional Jury Commission consisting of international experts and professionals in the social economy field. The Jury Commission will select the best two (2) teams that receive a financial award. More info on preparations, timing, format, and details will be provided by ARNO before the online pitching session. 

• AWARDS

The awards will grant two (2) RISE alumni teams an additional €5,000 (each) for further development of their social enterprises/ideas. Further information about legal and administrative matters will be provided after the completion of the RISE Alumni Awards. 

• DEADLINE

The call for applications is open until September 6, 23.59h. Late applications will not be accepted.
For any questions, please contact Marjan Icoski at marjan@arno.org.mk

***

The RISE project is supported by the Agence Française de Développement, the European Union, and the Regional Youth Cooperation Office. The RISE project is led by a consortium made up of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), SOS PULSE GROUP, South East European Youth Network (SEEYN), the French Institute, and the Franco-German Youth Office (OFAY), and implemented by six local incubators – ARNO, Balkan Green Foundation, Nesto vise, Smart Kolektiv, IEC Tehnopolis, and Yunus Social Business.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.