Procedure of the CEC
How to participate & Competition Criteria
The CEC will take place from 12 May to 12 August 2025.
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Step 1
Register online and create your account or log in. You will receive a confirmation email to activate your account. You will then go through a short registration process where you can provide detailed information about yourself. If you can't find the email, check your spam folder.
Note: The CEC will be held in English. Therefore, only submissions in English can be considered.
Step 2
To participate in the CEC, you must submit an idea that addresses one or more of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). You can create your idea in your dashboard under „My Ideas/Projects.”
Submit Your Idea
First, create a short pitch and submit it through the dashboard under „My Idea/Project.” Make sure to submit an idea as an „Idea” and not as a „Project” as submissions classified as projects cannot be considered.
Evaluation
The Stiftung Entrepreneurship will review your submission to ensure it meets the competition criteria. If accepted, you will have approximately two months (May 12 – July 10) to further develop your idea.
Voting Phase
To participate in the Voting Phase, you must:
✅ Complete the two courses: „Brains versus Capital” & „Sustainable Entrepreneurship.”
✅ Fully complete the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas (EDC).
✅ Submit your idea for voting.
Note: You can submit your idea before the Voting Phase begins, but it will only become publicly visible when the Voting Phase officially starts on July 11, 2025.
Sharing & Feedback
Before the Voting Phase, you can share your idea on the Entrepreneurship Campus—either with just your Campus friends or with the entire Campus community. Feedback from your peers and the community can help you refine your idea. Your idea will remain invisible to unregistered users.
⚠ Important: Make sure you allow enough time to meet all requirements and have your submission reviewed in time!
Any form of manipulation or fraud during the voting phase will be strictly monitored. If invalid or fake votes are detected, they will be removed. In severe cases, the participant may be disqualified. Fair and transparent voting is essential for the competition!
Step 3
If you have successfully completed both courses and the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas (EDC) before the voting phase begins and have submitted your idea for voting, it will automatically be published on the public Entrepreneurship website. This means your idea will be visible to non-registered users, allowing them to vote as well.
To maximize your chances of receiving votes, ensure that your idea page is well-prepared and fully completed before the voting phase starts. A clear and compelling presentation can significantly increase engagement and support.
During the voting phase, campus members and external users can cast their votes for ideas and projects. The top 10 ideas with the highest number of votes will advance to the finals, where they will be evaluated by our expert jury.
The jury will assess each finalist based on a structured evaluation questionnaire, awarding points in key categories such as:
🌿 Entrepreneurial vision
🍃 Feasibility
🌱 Innovation
🌍 Leadership
💚 Social impact
♻️ Sustainability
The jury's evaluation will determine the final ranking and winners of the competition.
Timeline
May 12, 2025
Start of the Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition.
From now on you can submit your idea as a pitch in the dashboard under „My idea/project".
July 10, 2024
Last day for submissions. Last day to complete both the „Brains versus Capital” & „Sustainable Entrepreneurship” courses and the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas (EDC).
Please keep in mind that we may not have enough time to review your pitch and you may lack time to meet the CEC requirements.
July 11, 2025
Start of Voting Phase.
All ideas that have completed both courses and fully completed the EDC will automatically move into the Voting Phase and will be posted on our public website.
August 12, 2025
End of Voting Phase.
You still have the whole day to collect votes. At midnight the voting will be closed and it is no longer possible to vote. We will evaluate the collected votes and announce the finalists as soon as possible.
Note: Any form of manipulation or fraud during the voting phase will be strictly monitored. If invalid or fake votes are detected, they will be removed. In severe cases, the participant may be disqualified. Fair and transparent voting is essential for the competition!
August 2024
Evaluation and announcement.
The top 10 submissions with the most votes will advance to the finals, where they will be evaluated by our expert jury. The jury will award points based on key criteria such as entrepreneurial vision, feasibility, innovation, leadership, social impact, and sustainability. The winners will then be selected and announced on our blog.
📌 Tip: Images and videos (max. 3 minutes) are great ways to visually present your idea or project and increase your chances of getting votes. Make sure to use only media for which you have the rights.
Be part of the community even without submitting an idea!
You don’t need to submit an idea or project to be part of the Entrepreneurship Campus Community. Sign up, connect with like-minded people, exchange ideas, and provide valuable feedback on other submissions!
Difference between idea and project
Please note: In 2025, the CEC is purely an idea competition. Only idea submissions will be considered.
Idea
All entries must include an innovative solution or proposal for a business that addresses the Sustainable Development Goals. It may be in the conception, planning, or start-up phase, but must not yet have resulted in a start-up.
Project
All entries must consist of innovative projects carried out by existing businesses in the form of companies, NGOs or informal programs.
Important: Please make sure that you have the rights for everything you upload! You can find licence free images on Unsplash and Pixabay. If you upload copyrighted images, audios etc., you have to cover the costs for any legal issues.
Status of your idea/project
You can view the status of your submission at any time in the dashboard under "My idea/project" in the particular idea/project. You can submit multiple ideas and projects.
Please note: If we still have questions about your pitch in step 1, you have the option to redo and resubmit your pitch. Unfortunately, rejected submissions will not be able to participate in CEC 2025. A submission would only be possible again for the next CEC.
Community Guidelines and Privacy Policy
Please read the CEC terms of use, our Community Guidelines and the Privacy Policy carefully and thoroughly. By participating in the CEC, you acknowledge that you have read and understand the Privacy Policy and that you will comply with it.
