Orange has opened applications for the 13th edition of its Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East (POESAM). The competition which is open to candidates from the 17 countries within the Orange footprint will see winning projects take home €25,000 in cash prizes.

Since 2011, the prize has been awarded to innovative projects by startups, based on information and communication technologies that have a positive social impact in Africa and the Middle East. The startups' rage from a wide range of fields including education, healthcare, e-commerce, and agriculture, or that contribute to achieving sustainable development goals.

Through this prize, Orange, as a committed operator, aims to contribute to socio-economic development, support social and environmental innovation, and encourage entrepreneurship in Africa and the Middle East.

The competition has two stages: A national stage to collect applications, between March and May 2023 in Orange’s 17 subsidiaries in Africa and the Middle East and an international stage, where each subsidiary will be represented by the projects of its 3 winners, which will be evaluated by an evaluation committee made up of Group employees. After their evaluation, they will select 10 finalists. A final jury of African tech influencers will select the 3 winners of the POESAM International Grand Prize in October/November 2023. The winners will receive €25,000 for 1st place, €15,000 for 2nd place, and €10,000 for 3rd place.

As equal opportunities are a key aspect of Orange policy, the International Women's Prize will be awarded for the fourth consecutive year. This prize will be awarded to a woman who offers a technological solution to improve the living conditions of women (women’s independence, job creation or preservation, gender data collection, digital and financial inclusion, etc.). The winner will receive €20,000.

Since the launch of POESAM in 2011, Orange has awarded around €600,000 in prize money to over 30 winners and provided funds for more than 90 entrepreneurs to receive support from Orange experts or its partners.

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