Competition for social innovations in tourism: winners chosen

The official pitch event and award ceremony for the Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism 2021 took place on 13 September 2021. The jury selected a total of four winners in two categories each from the ten remaining finalists. The Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism was launched three years ago by Prof Dr Claudia Brözel, Professor at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE).

Prizes for social entrepreneurship go to Mongolia and South Africa

On 13 September 2021, the final selection of the winners was made digitally by the jury in a pitch event followed by an awards ceremony. Both cash and non-cash prizes were available in both categories, which were provided by the partner organisations.

One winner of the competition is the initiative Khusvegi English & Nomadic Culture Camp from Mongolia in the "Launch Track" category, the category for new, as yet unrealised projects. The initiative connects interested travellers with Kazakh nomadic families: travellers live temporarily with a traditional family and thus gain an insight into the culture and traditions of the people. In return, they can give their host family English lessons. Second place in this category goes to Ecopreneur Evolution, whose idea is based on working with local and international partners to produce new products from collected plastic waste.

In the "Growth Track", the category for existing projects that are to be expanded further, the South African-based social enterprise Khwela Womxn took first place. It was voted into first place by both the jury and the public, who were also able to cast a vote. The initiative supports young women in the South African tourism industry and provides them with various tools and resources for personal development to generate their own income. The project Getaboutable project was also recognised by the jury in the Growth Track, whose founders, driven by their own experiences of suffering, want to promote accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities in the tourism sector.

A unique competition

The Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism is the first and only competition worldwide focussing on social innovation and social entrepreneurship in tourism. It aims to empower social entrepreneurs, accelerate their growth and give them access to the market. Participants have the opportunity to exchange ideas with experts in the sector, take part in a mentoring programme and gain international exposure. The competition was initiated by HNEE lecturer Prof. Dr Claudia Brözel, who also offers a module on social entrepreneurship in the Sustainable Tourism Management degree programme and involves students in both theory and practice.

2021 - A record year for applications

Over the past few months, a 13-member jury consisting of tourism experts from all over the world deliberated on the 132 applications submitted this year, 63 of which were submitted in the Launch Track and 69 in the Growth Track.

Based on the jury evaluations, ten finalists received a ten-week mentoring and coaching programme from the Social Innovation Academy (SINA), which was designed to strengthen the founders' knowledge and skills in the areas of pitching, human-centred design, business modelling and impact measurement in one-to-one meetings and group sessions.

Note on image material
The photos available here may be used for reporting purposes. Please note the copyright notice © Claudia Brözel