Applications Open for BRICS Women's Startups Contest 2026

• Applications are now open for the BRICS Women’s Startups Contest 2026
• The contest is spearheaded by the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance
• India is spearheading the contest for the year 2026

The BRICS Women’s Business Alliance has announced that applications are now open for the 2026 BRICS Women’s Startups Contest.

The purpose of this event is to support women entrepreneurs who are participating in the Startups Contest throughout the BRICS countries. India will serve as the host country for 2026. The main objective of the 2026 Contest is to support and advance female entrepreneurship, innovation and business development globally.

The BRICS Women’s Startups Contest 2026 will be one of the successors to the BRICS Women’s Startups Contest that occurred prior to 2026. These contests promote innovative, women-owned and led enterprises with a significant potential to grow.

They also foster collaboration, enhance economic co-operation and share information & knowledge among the BRICS countries. These benefits will help women entrepreneurs expand their businesses and access investors, experts within their field, and policymakers from BRICS countries.

The BRICS Women’s Startups Contest 2026 will have six core areas of focus: health & wellness; food security & agriculture; education & skill development; energy, infrastructure & mobility; commercial services & digital transformation; sustainable development & climate change. Startups can win awards in 6 categories based on their stage of development.

In order to qualify for this BRICS Development Program, applicants must be either citizens or permanent residents from a BRICS nation: Brazil; China; Egypt; Ethiopia; India; Indonesia; Iran; Russia; Saudi Arabia; South Africa; and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The applicant must also work in at least one of these 10 countries. The applicant must be a significant, active leader in their start-up company as either a founder or actively completing other duties for the success of their start-up. It is suggested that applicants use a multidisciplinary team to develop their start-up.

Applicants must develop a business model for their start-up's products or services and demonstrate that they have a demand for the product or service.

Also, the applicant must demonstrate how their services will positively impact (long-term) society, or the economy, or the environment. It is recommended that the applicant address how they would solve and innovate a problem and demonstrate the relevance of the proposed solution within the BRICS nations.