Investing in Young Women Award

The Investing in Young Women Award celebrates organisations that have implemented impactful strategies or programmes to empower young women through education and leadership development, fostering the next generation of women leaders.

This award recognizes organisations that have either developed forward-looking strategies to enhance young women’s access to education or implemented sustainable initiatives that deliver measurable outcomes, such as increased educational attainment, leadership skills, or empowerment to overcome socio economic barriers. These initiatives should prioritise young women from diverse economic backgrounds, particularly those from underserved or marginalised communities, to ensure equitable opportunities for leadership development.

Criteria for entries

To ensure entries align with the award’s objectives, submissions should provide detailed, evidence-based information addressing the following criteria:

1. Strategies for future education of young women
   • Describe specific strategies or planned initiatives to improve young women’s access to education and leadership opportunities.
   • Examples may include scholarship programmes, partnerships with schools or NGOs, or plans to provide mentorship and career guidance for young women.
   • Provide a clear timeline, measurable goals (e.g., number of girls to be supported, educational milestones), and plans for monitoring and evaluating progress.
     
     
2. Sustainable education and empowerment initiatives
   • Detail programmes that have successfully provided education or leadership development opportunities to young women from diverse economic backgrounds.
   • Examples may include tuition subsidies, STEM training, leadership workshops, or programmes addressing barriers like transportation or childcare.
   • Provide evidence of impact, such as the number of young women educated, graduation rates, leadership roles assumed, or specific success stories of participants.
     
     
3. Building a pipeline of future women leaders
   • Describe how initiatives equip young women with the skills, confidence, and opportunities to become future leaders in their communities, workplaces, or society.
   • Examples may include mentorship by women leaders, internships, civic engagement programmes, or platforms for young women to voice their ideas.
   • Provide data on leadership outcomes, such as the number of young women in leadership roles, community projects led, or continued education pursued.
     
     
4. Guidance for strong entries
   • Be evidence-based: Use quantifiable metrics (e.g., number of girls educated, leadership outcomes, socioeconomic improvements) and concrete examples to demonstrate impact. Avoid vague or anecdotal claims.
   • Prioritise diverse backgrounds: Highlight how initiatives reach young women from underserved or marginalised communities.
   • Emphasise sustainability: Show how programmes are designed for long-term impact, with mechanisms for ongoing support and evaluation.