By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Applications are open for the 2025 edition of the Pierre Castel Prize, which honours innovative young Africans driving sustainable impact in their communities.
This year, the Prize will expand its focus beyond the agriculture and agri-meals sectors to incorporate all stakeholders of the transformation of meal methods—with emphasis on innovation.
The Pierre Castel Fund will only fund projects from applicants in Boissons du Cameroun, Brakina, Bracongo, Brasimba, Castel El Djazaïr, Solibra and Star Madagascar.
Prizes
The Pierre Castel Prize’s grants are a strategic lever for accelerating enterprise development and strengthening their impression on African meal methods.
The Super Winner
- €35,000 financial endowment
- A mentoring program
- A personalised teaching program
- One 12 months of help as a PanAfrican ambassador for the Pierre Castel Prize
- Business playing cards with the phrases “Super” Winner of the 2025 Pierre Castel Prize
- Participation within the Residency program Entrepreneurial “African Builders”
- Support for participation in worldwide commerce gala’s
- Pan-African media highlight
- Support for certification
The Six Winners
- €25,000 financial endowment
- A mentoring program
- A personalised teaching program
- Business playing cards with the phrases ”Winner of the Prix Pierre Castel 2025″
- For All The Winners
- Coverage of membership charges to the Patronage of the nation involved
- Factory excursions
- Connecting with potential companions and traders
- Participation in Master Classes given by workers of subsidiaries on key themes: communication, gross sales, advertising, product high quality, stock administration and meals security
- The finalist entrepreneurs of this version could have entry to licensed e-studying entrepreneurial coaching with the International Trade Centre of Geneva (ITC)
- Upon their pre-choice, they are a part of the “African Builders” community, a dynamic neighborhood of entrepreneurs serving the event of the African continent.
Eligibility
The 2025 Pierre Castel Prize is open to entrepreneurs who meet the following criteria:
- You operate in new applied sciences utilized to agriculture and the meals business Sustainable and resilient strategies (precision agriculture, agroecology, bioconservation, water administration, useful resource restoration, renewable energies, and so forth.)
- You employ digital options facilitating market entry, traceability and logistics.
- You are between 18 and 45 years old.
- Your enterprise legally exists and has been in enterprise for not less than 12 months.
- You have an improvement mission together with a measurable social, financial and environmental impression in your ecosystem.
- You are a national of any of the above-listed countries and also reside there. (Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Democratic Republic of Congo)
Application Requirements
- All paperwork listed beneath is obligatory. Incomplete purposes or purposes that don’t meet the indicated standards might be rejected by default. The application can solely be accomplished in French or English.
- A replica of your identification doc
- A CV
- A stability sheet or working account for the 2024 financial 12 months
- An official document certifying the authorized existence of your small business
- A presentation file for your organization
- Presentation of the mission chief(s) (background, ambition, motivation)
- Presentation of the corporate (date of creation, authorised type, governance, variety of workers, provided atmosphere, market, prospects, distribution, advertising, and so forth.
- An in depth presentation of the event mission to be supported (marketing strategy, worth creation and anticipated impression)
How to Apply
Interested? Click here to apply.
The 2025 edition of the Pierre Castel Prize is accepting applications from young African innovators who are driving sustainable impact in their communities. This year's prize expands beyond agriculture to include various meal methods, emphasizing innovation. Eligible applicants must be from specific African countries and operate within sectors like precision agriculture and bioconservation, employing digital solutions and exhibiting a measurable impact in their ecosystem.
The competition offers significant prizes, including a top award of €35,000, mentoring, personalized training, and international exposure. Six additional winners will receive €25,000, mentoring, training, and networking opportunities. All winners benefit from master classes and a chance to join the "African Builders" network.
Applicants must present detailed documentation of their legal business existence, a well-defined improvement mission, and a measurable social, economic, and environmental impact. The application process requires submitting key documents, such as a CV, business presentation, and financial records from the last year, in either French or English. Interested individuals can apply online.
