Special Prizes

With generous support from a group of sponsors, we are excited to offer additional sector-specific prizes to help boost your business.

These awards include both cash and in-kind business support.

Blue Economy Award

Help for blue economy businesses

Our oceans are the lifeblood of our planet, regulating climate, sustaining millions of livelihoods, and providing a critical source of food for billions. Yet, they face unprecedented threats from overfishing, pollution, and climate change. To ensure a healthy planet and a prosperous future, we must urgently transition to a sustainable ocean economy that balances economic growth with the protection and restoration of our marine ecosystems.

Requiring bold innovation and transformative solutions, our new Blue Economy Award is looking for game-changing ideas in areas such as aquaculture, marine renewable energy, coastal tourism and other associated sectors that can address these threats.

Participants in the Converge 2025 programme who submit a business case (KickStart Challenge) or business plan (Converge/Net Zero/Create Change Challenges) in the area of blue economy.

Examples of relevant sectors:

  • Blue biotechnology
  • Desalination
  • Marine living resources (e.g., aquaculture and fisheries)
  • Coastal tourism
  • Marine renewable energy
  • Infrastructure and robotics
  • Maritime transport
  • Ports

£35k cash prizes:

First prize (any category in Converge/Net Zero/Create Change Challenges): £20k

Runner-up (any category in Converge/Net Zero/Create Change Challenges): £10k

KickStart Challenge: £5k

PR and promotion

Feature in our winners’ press release sent to local, regional and national media.

 

The Ventures Lab Awards

Support for purpose-led ventures

If you have an innovative idea that addresses a significant societal challenge, this award can help you achieve sustainable impact at scale.

With support from the Scottish Government, The Ventures Lab aims to build a broad and inclusive market for social ventures in Scotland. Using their unique social venture building and investment facility approach, they are creating an environment where innovative purpose-led ventures can attract a range of partners and investors to help them realise social impact globally.

IBiolC Award

Help for Industrial Biotechnology Businesses

Scotland is a global powerhouse for industrial biotechnology innovation with the race to net zero offering even more opportunities to grow the sector.

If you have a new biotechnology process or product that addresses a real market need, then this Award can help you to make it a commercial reality.