Impact Prize 2022 opens for European Social Innovation Competition 2021 semi-finalists

On 12 April 2022 the European Commission opened applications for the European Social Innovation Competition Impact Prize 2022. This award is aimed specifically at recognising the progress and measurable outcomes achieved by semi-finalists from the 2021 edition of the competition. The European Innovation Council supports the prize as part of the European innovation ecosystems under the Horizon Europe work programme.

What the Impact Prize 2022 is and what it rewards

The Impact Prize seeks to reward tangible progress made by projects that were already selected as semi-finalists in the 2021 European Social Innovation Competition. Organisers invite those teams to produce an impact report that documents how their idea has developed since the 2021 contest. A jury will evaluate the submitted reports and award one first ranked winner with a single prize of fifty thousand euros.

How to apply and what organisers expect from impact reports

Semi-finalists from 2021 are invited to submit an impact report as part of their application for the 2022 Impact Prize. The report should document progress made since the previous competition and explain the impact methodology used to measure outcomes. The jury will base its decision on these reports. Applicants must be registered in the EU Participant Register and validated by the Commission's central validation service prior to the call deadline.

Background: the 2021 Challenge and the focus on skills for tomorrow

The 2021 Challenge Prize asked entrants to propose scalable social innovations that help people, businesses and industries identify and strengthen the skills needed for Europe’s green and digital transitions. That edition sought innovations likely to contribute to job creation, growth and competitiveness by targeting future skill needs. The Impact Prize 2022 is limited to the semi-finalists from that 2021 cycle and is designed to measure which of those early-stage social innovations produced demonstrable results over the subsequent year.

Taken at face value the prize supports follow through but watch for limits

The Impact Prize is an explicit attempt to reward not only good ideas but measurable progress. The Commission highlighted that it wants to see original concepts evolve into robust projects with demonstrable impact. Commissioner Mariya Gabriel was quoted saying that the prize "is an excellent example of caring about EU beneficiaries and their results" and that she was "curious to discover how original ideas have evolved into robust projects, showcasing the best impact methodology, and demonstrating the best results among 2021 semi-finalists."

That said there are practical constraints worth noting. The call is restricted to a small, preselected pool of semi-finalists rather than being open to a broader set of social innovators. The prize sum is modest relative to scale up costs and will not substitute for larger follow-on financing. The jury will rely on submitted impact reports which are self reported and may vary in methodological rigour. Independent verification and long term outcomes are rarely captured in a single report and are resource intensive for small teams to produce. Finally, rules prevent awarding a second EU or Euratom prize for the same activities which reduces the possibility for double funding but also may complicate applicants who previously received other EU support.

What applicants should prepare

Teams that were semi-finalists in 2021 should focus their impact report on clear, measurable outcomes since the competition. Useful elements include the baseline from 2021, indicators used to measure change, data sources, timelines, beneficiaries reached, partnerships formed and any revenue or jobs data where applicable. The report should describe the methodology used to collect and validate impact evidence and make explicit where results are based on estimates or short term proxies rather than independently audited metrics.

Practical next steps and where to find more information

The competition is open until 24 May 2022 at 17:00 CET. Eligible teams must register in the Participant Register and be validated by the REA Central Validation Service before the deadline. Full details including application rules are published on the European Social Innovation Competition pages of the Commission and EIC websites. Applicants should consult the official call text and the rules of contest to confirm documentation, technical formats and submission procedures.

Organisers stress that winners of the 2021 Challenge Prize cannot apply and that applicants who have already received an EU or Euratom prize for the same activities are ineligible to receive a second prize. This is intended to avoid double awarding for identical work.

Bottom line

The Impact Prize 2022 is a focused recognition exercise designed to surface which early stage social innovations from the 2021 competition translated into measurable change. For semi-finalists this is an opportunity to gain visibility and a modest financial boost. For observers it is a compact experiment in follow-up evaluation within EU prize practice. Applicants and evaluators will face the common challenge of turning short term progress reporting into robust claims about sustained social impact.