"Created by Women" Award

The competition was established in 2019 at the initiative of the business lady committee of the French-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFU). The award aims to support and develop women's entrepreneurship in Ukraine, promote gender equality, and foster sustainable economic growth.

This year's competition is designed to reward women entrepreneurs who continue to work despite the war, challenge biases against women in business, empower them, and inspire women to start their own businesses. 

The participant must be a woman entrepreneur who is the founder or co-founder of an existing business in Ukraine.

The 200,000 UAH cash prize is intended for business development.

The award is presented during the Award Ceremony.

Comprehensive package of support measures aimed at professional development, increasing project visibility, and strengthening participants’ entrepreneurial capacity is going to be provided.

The supported activities include:

1. Online training on personal brand development.
   All competition participants will take part in an online training focused on building and promoting a personal brand.

2. Awards for finalists.
   Following the Prize process, three finalists selected by the jury in accordance with the established Rules will receive monetary awards.

3. Recognition of the main winner.
   Upon completion of the competition, the main winner will receive:

   • an award presented during the Ceremony in the presence of partners;

   • a cash prize;

   • project mentorship and support from partner companies for one year;

   • one year of complimentary membership in CCIFU.

4. Recognition of finalists.
   The TOP 10 finalists will be awarded diplomas and valuable gifts.

Thus, the program provides not only financial support but also mentoring, training, and institutional backing for participants.

The selection of participants is conducted in two consecutive stages.

Stage One — Preliminary Selection

After the registration closes on March 22, 2026, at 23:59, all submitted applications are reviewed by a professional jury. Based on the evaluation, 15 participants whose applications best meet the established criteria are selected. The jury reserves the right to adjust the number of finalists depending on the quality of the submitted applications.

Stage Two — Interviews

The selected participants proceed to the interview stage, scheduled for April–May 2026. During this phase, the jury evaluates the projects based on personal presentations and responses to questions.

Following the second stage, the jury determines 10 finalists. Among them, one winner will be selected during the award ceremony.

Final Stage — Announcement of Results

The award ceremony will take place on July 9, 2026.

To participate in the competition, the candidate must submit a complete application package within the established deadline and in accordance with the specified requirements.

1. Completing the Application Form

The candidate must complete the application form on the website womancicifu.com between February 2, 2026, and March 22, 2026 (until 23:59).

Applications submitted after the указаного deadline will not be considered by the jury.

Submission of the application constitutes the candidate’s consent to the processing of personal data in accordance with the applicable legislation of Ukraine.

2. Preparing the Application Package

The following materials must be attached to the application:

• A presentation of the candidate and her project in English, including professional experience, key achievements, a development plan, and a three-year business plan. The presentation must not exceed 12 pages and should be submitted in PDF or PowerPoint format.
• A promotional video about the company and the project in English or with English subtitles. The video duration must not exceed 2 minutes.
• Official company registration documents.

All materials must comply with the specified language, format, and length requirements.

Submitted projects are evaluated based on established criteria designed to comprehensively assess the idea, its strategic perspective, and its implementation capacity.

The key evaluation criteria include:

1. Originality and Project Objective
   The jury assesses the novelty and uniqueness of the idea, its social or economic relevance, and the clarity of the stated objective.
2. Strategic Vision for Development
   Evaluation includes the presence of a long-term development plan, scalability potential, and prospects for sustainable operation.
3. Financial Justification (Business Plan)
   The financial calculations are reviewed for realism, logical budget structure, alignment of expenses with project objectives, and overall economic viability.
4. Commercial Potential and Marketing Development Plan
   The project’s competitiveness, understanding of the target audience, sales channels, and promotion strategy are taken into account.
5. Quality and Structure of the Presentation
   The clarity of content, logical structure, strength of argumentation, and the candidate’s ability to present the project effectively are evaluated.

Selected candidates will be invited to online meetings with the jury members, during which their preparedness and capacity to implement the proposed initiative will be further assessed.

Grounds for Disqualification

The organizer reserves the right to disqualify candidates without prior notice in cases of:

• submission of false or incomplete information;
• violation of the competition rules;
• detection of plagiarism in presentation materials or the business project;
• use of inaccurate data regarding financial, legal, or registration documents.

Role of the Jury

The evaluation is conducted by an independent jury composed of representatives of diplomatic institutions, business, financial institutions, international companies, and media organizations. The jury makes the final decision on the selection of finalists and the determination of the winner based on a comprehensive review of the submitted materials and presentations.

• Participant's photo.
• Candidate and project presentation in English (pdf, ppt, pptx – up to 12 pages).
• Video about the company and project (with English subtitles, up to 2 mins).
• Official company registration document.

Obligations of Candidates

Candidates are required to:

• submit a complete package of documents as specified in the Regulations;
• provide additional information upon request of the jury members, if necessary;
• grant permission for the publication of photo and video materials attached to the application;
• attend the Award Ceremony (applicable to finalists only).

General Rules

1. The document package must be submitted in Ukrainian and English. The presentation must be prepared in English, and the project video must include English subtitles.
2. The jury reserves the right to request additional information from candidates. Such requests are made on an individual basis.
3. Selected participants may not withdraw from the competition after being shortlisted.
4. Participation in the competition is free of charge.

Grounds for Disqualification

The organizer reserves the right to disqualify candidates without prior notice in cases of:

• submission of false or incomplete information;
• violation of the Competition Regulations;
• detection of plagiarism in presentation materials or the business project;
• use of inaccurate data regarding financial, legal, or company registration documents.

Force Majeure

1. The organizer shall not be liable for failure to fulfill or for postponement of obligations in the event of force majeure circumstances (including military actions, emergencies, technical failures, or restrictions imposed by public authorities, etc.).
2. If necessary, the organizer reserves the right to change the format, date, or venue of the Award events, with mandatory notification of participants.