La European SME Week – Youth Start-Up Challenge 2026 It is dedicated to young entrepreneurs who want to develop new startups with an innovative and disruptive social, economic, or environmental impact.
The initiative aims to highlight startup projects that are original, capable of capturing public and media interest, and consistent with European Union values such as sustainability, inclusion, and innovation. Proposals will be evaluated by a jury based on three main criteria: creativity, visibility, and communication skills.
The competition is aimed at:
- young people between 18 and 25 years old;
- residents of an EU Member State or a country associated with the Single Market programme;
- individual participants or teams;
- people (or startups) who present an innovative business idea in English.
To participate, create and submit a video (maximum 2 minutes) in English presenting the startup idea, along with a short business plan (maximum 3 pages, in English). Participation is open to individuals or groups. The top three projects will be invited to the SME & Cluster Assembly 2026 in Dublin (November 2–4, 2026) to present their project during a meeting with experts and representatives of European institutions. The winner will then be awarded during the official event, ensuring media coverage and publicity via the European Commission's and project partners' social media channels.
The deadline for submitting project ideas is 20 September 2026. Click here for all the details