Deadline: June 1, 2017 | Registrations will open in March 2017
Eligibility: green startups from all over the world can participate; your proposed product or service must reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Prizes: the winner gets EUR 500,000,- to bring his/her business to market and the runner-up will receive EUR 200,000,-.
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Postcode Lottery Green Challenge 2017

The Postcode Lottery Green Challenge is an annual international competition that rewards products/services/technologies that successfully combine sustainability, entrepreneurship and creativity. The jury will look for business plans that contribute to an eco-friendly lifestyle, directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and score highly on convenience, quality and design.

Green startups from all over the world can submit promising sustainable business plans from the 1st of March 2017 for the 11th edition. In order to be able to compete, your product or service must reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The winner will receive €500,000 to further develop their product or service and to bring it to market. The runner-up will receive €200,000. The winner will be chosen by an international jury.

Tackling climate change

Climate change presents a pressing challenge for us all. The world needs help embracing a more sustainable way of life, and one bright idea can make a big difference. The Postcode Lottery Green Challenge has been started to promote the invention of great new green products and services.

Businesses that are ready to speed up the transition towards a low carbon economy. The answers to the issues of our time are already in front of us. But it takes entrepreneurs like the finalists to raise those answers and get them out into the world.

Entry & selection process

Startups can enter their business plan from the 1st of March till the 1st of June 2017. The preliminary jury will publish a list of 25 startups in July. In August, it will be announced which five candidates will be competing on finals day.

The five finalists will pitch their business plans to the international jury, the audience and the press. The jury will then select the winner, who will receive €500,000. After the competition, all five finalists will be offered an intensive 10-day accelerator programme to optimise their business chances.

The jury looks for a combination of entrepreneurship, creativity and of course sustainability. Your entry should have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount you can roughly estimate. Your plan should be developed enough to be executed and brought to market within 2 years. Besides these criteria, the jury will also judge factors as communication potential, courageousness and creativity.

Tip: Make sure you create an impressive elevator pitch, stating who you are, who is in your team, what your business is, and why you are the ones to make this a success. Good luck!

What happens to the ideas that don’t win?

Dutch Postcode Lottery is in touch with a number of organisations that are interested in helping to realise ideas that don’t win. On your entry form, you can give these parties permission to contact you directly.

The purpose of the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge is to stimulate people to think about products and services that can make the planet greener. We hope many of these ideas will be realised – not just the ones that take the prizes!

Your plan

• should have the potential to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by an amount you can roughly estimate
• should be developed enough to execute
• should be realisable as a usable product or service within the next two years
• should preferably have integrated Cradle2Cradle principles in their designs

Besides these criteria, the jury will also look at factors as communication potential, courageousness and creativity.

You should

• be willing to bring your idea to market yourself, and to commit to working with any organisation necessary for developing the product and/or implementing the service
• be 18 years or older
• agree with all Terms & Conditions
• carefully answer all the questions on the entry form in English
• be willing to attend the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge in Amsterdam if you are selected as a finalist and present your idea to the jury

An elevator pitch will go a long way

One of the questions you will be asked when you enter the competition, is to create an elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is a short clip of your business pitch, recorded in the time it would take you to convince a possible investor of your business plan whilst you’re both in the same elevator.

If you are a driven social entrepreneur, your goal is to make your dream come true. To make that happen, you will need backup. Financial, but also creative and inspirational back-up. Whether you are entering the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge or not, you will have to pitch your business plan thousands of times if you are looking for investors. Here’s your chance to work on that pitch. Good luck!

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