BRICS Women's Startups Contest 2026 Opens Applications

By: WE Staff | Friday, 3 April 2026

• Registration for the BRICS Women's Startups Contest 2026 is now open
• The competition is being conducted by the BRICS Women's Business Alliance
• India is spearheading the campaign for the year 2026

The BRICS Women’s Business Alliance has declared that applications are being accepted for the BRICS Women’s Startups Contest 2026.

The contest aims to help women entrepreneurs who will be taking part in the contest by providing assistance and encouragement to them in BRICS member nations, with India as the host country of the contest in 2026.

The main purpose of organizing such a contest is to promote women entrepreneurs and their initiatives in terms of innovation and development of their businesses globally.

As was done in previous years’ editions, the 2026 edition will also focus on promoting women-led startups and supporting the growth of these firms along with fostering cooperation amongst BRICS members.

By joining the contest, participating women entrepreneurs will get chances to increase their business visibility along with interacting with investors, policymakers, and experts in the field belonging to BRICS member nations.

Theme areas that will form the core of the 2026 competition include health and wellness; food security and agriculture; education and skills training; energy, infrastructure, and transportation; business services and digital transformation; and sustainable development and climate change. There will be six award categories, each dependent on the level of maturity attained by competing startups.

Eligibility requirements entail that participants are nationals or permanent residents of one of the BRICS nations and operate in at least one BRICS market.

Participants need to occupy a strategic leadership position in the business, including being the founder or any other similar designation, and actively engage in the business operations. Multidisciplinary teams are highly recommended.

Participants are also supposed to provide evidence of viability through the business model, presence of demand for the product or service, and the social, economic, and environmental implications associated with their proposed solution.

Participants need to articulate the issue that their product addresses, describe the innovation aspect, and indicate its applicability and scalability in the BRICS region.