Introduction
The Social Enterprise Awards were launched in 2024 as a pioneering platform to recognize and celebrate the transformative work of social enterprises and social entrepreneurs across Uganda. The inaugural edition laid a strong foundation by highlighting innovation, resilience, and measurable impact in addressing social and
environmental challenges.
About the Awards
The Social Enterprise Awards is a flagship initiative dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the outstanding achievements, innovation, and sustainability of social enterprises and social entrepreneurs in Uganda. By providing a prestigious national platform, the awards aim to spotlight transformative models that tackle pressing social, economic, and environmental issues while inspiring a new generation of changemakers.
Objectives
Recognition & Celebration
To recognize and celebrate outstanding achievements, innovations, and contributions of social enterprises and entrepreneurs in Uganda, with a focus on their measurable social, economic, and environmental impact.
Promote Excellence
To promote excellence, scalability, sustainability, and resilience among social enterprises, while inspiring emerging entrepreneurs and organizations to adopt high-impact models.
Strengthen the Sector
To strengthen the visibility and credibility of the social enterprise sector, facilitate networking and partnerships, and contribute to an enabling environment for social entrepreneurship in Uganda.
Expected Outcomes
- Enhanced recognition and national visibility for outstanding social enterprises and entrepreneurs, leading to increased support, partnerships, and investment opportunities.
- Greater inspiration and motivation across the sector, resulting in improved innovation, scalability, sustainability, and overall performance of social enterprises in Uganda.
- Greater inspiration and motivation across the sector, resulting in improved innovation, scalability, sustainability, and overall performance of social enterprises in Uganda.
SEA CATEGORIES
The Social Enterprise Awards (SEA) is having Nine(9) different categories.
Social Enterprise of the Year Award
This award category recognizes a social enterprise that has set a new standard for social entrepreneurship and inspires others to follow in their footsteps. One that has a lasting legacy in the sector..
Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award
This celebrates an exceptional young leader who has demonstrated outstanding potential, passion, and dedication to creating positive change in their community or field and inspires others with their creativity and determination.
Agriculture Social Enterprise of the year Award
This award category recognizes a social enterprise or individual that is funding organic or better farming practices awareness, an initiative that is benefiting farmers in particular, or society at large, especially youth, women, rural people, or marginalized groups of people
Female Social Entrepreneur of the year Award
This award category recognizes a female social entrepreneur that is owning a social business. The nominee must be the founder and actively involved in its operations. It is open to all female applicants from the age of 21.
Education & Skills Social Enterprise of the year Award
This awards category honors an organization that has made outstanding contributions to education, and equipping people with skills to empower them through innovative initiatives, programs, or services.
Local NGO of the year Award
This award category recognizes a Non-Governmental Organization that has dared to be different, pushing boundaries and raising the bar to create social or environmental impact. Organizations that have developed a sustainability plan beyond donations. This NGO must have at least 30% of its budget not funded by donor money but by its income-generating activities.
Environmental Social Enterprise of the year Award
This award category recognizes an outstanding conservation or advocacy organization that has greatly promoted climate justice, eco-friendly activities/innovations, climate action, climate policies, environmental protection and conservation, and innovative sustainability ideas.
Health & Social care Social Enterprise of the Year
This Award category celebrates an organization that provides health and social care services. The organization that goes above and beyond to support the physical, mental, or emotional wellbeing of people in the community
Digital Social Enterprise of the Year
This award category celebrates an organization that utilizes the power of technology to create life-changing digital/physical products and services that create social impact in the community.
Criteria & Process
Nominations
Open call for submissions from social enterprises across Uganda and Africa.
Shortlisting
Applications are carefully reviewed and the strongest entries are shortlisted.
Public Voting
40% of the final score comes from public voting.
Jury Evaluation
60% of the score is decided by judges through thorough investigation and site visits.
Organized By
In Partnership With
