to our WEA 2026 winners

At its core, the awards aim to:

• Highlight women entrepreneurs' achievements across different industries and stages of business (from startups to established companies).
• Reward merit and impact, focusing on real performance such as growth, innovation, leadership, and resilience.
• Give visibility to women-led businesses, helping them gain recognition, credibility, and opportunities.
• Inspire more women to start and scale businesses by showcasing role models from the region.
• Strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem by connecting entrepreneurs with partners, mentors, and collaborators.

It's not just an awards ceremony, it's a broader platform that also includes workshops, networking, partnerships, and regional collaboration, all designed to support and elevate women entrepreneurs across the Indian Ocean region.

See the WEA Journey section above for a visual overview of all stages, from application to awards ceremony.

Women entrepreneurs with a formally registered business (either as a company or as an individual) and who own at least 50% of their business, or are majority shareholders. Applicants must have been operating their business for at least one year.

Eligible sectors: all sectors are eligible, except import businesses.

Applications to the Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) are open to women entrepreneurs operating within the six eligible territories, namely: Mauritius/Rodrigues, Réunion, Mayotte, Comoros, Madagascar, and Seychelles.

As long as the business is actively operating in one of these countries, applicants may participate, even if they are based elsewhere.

The key eligibility requirement is therefore not the personal country of residence, but that the business itself is operating within the eligible territories, ensuring that WEA remains focused on strengthening and showcasing women entrepreneurship across the Indian Ocean region.

For the Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA), there is no registration or participation fee for applicants.

This is because WEA is entirely merit-based. Selection and progression through the different stages are determined purely by the applicant's performance, the strength of her journey, and how she evolves through each phase of the process, not by any financial contribution.

The objective is to ensure a fair and transparent platform where every woman entrepreneur is evaluated on equal grounds, and where recognition is earned through impact, commitment, and execution, rather than payment.

Applications to the Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) can be submitted in either English or French.

Both languages are accepted to ensure accessibility and inclusivity for women entrepreneurs across the region, and to allow applicants to express their journey and business in the language they are most comfortable with.

The Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) evaluates participants through a set of award categories designed to reflect different dimensions of entrepreneurship and achievement:

• Most Impactful Entrepreneur
• Most Innovative Entrepreneur
• Most Sustainable Entrepreneur
• WEA Champion of the Year

These categories allow the jury to recognise a wide spectrum of strengths, from innovation and sustainability to overall business impact.

The goal of WEA is to go beyond business performance alone, it is to highlight the real impact women entrepreneurs have on society, communities, and the broader innovation ecosystem.

Every year, the Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) brings together a carefully selected panel of judges made up of experienced professionals with strong expertise in evaluating and supporting women entrepreneurs.

The objective is to ensure that each application is assessed with fairness, credibility, and a deep understanding of entrepreneurship across different sectors.

We are also committed to ensuring that the jury panel is balanced and inclusive, composed of both men and women, bringing diverse perspectives to the evaluation process and enriching the quality of the selection.

The jury panel is not announced in advance as a fixed list, but it is always composed of credible and experienced profiles who are able to do justice to the diversity and quality of the applications received. The final jury composition is communicated on our social media platforms and website in due time, closer to the evaluation stages.

The jury panel of the Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) operates as a completely independent body, responsible for evaluating applications and making decisions based solely on the agreed judging criteria and the quality of each applicant's profile and journey.

The organising team has no influence on the jury's decisions, ensuring full transparency and integrity throughout the selection process.

To maintain fairness and good governance, strict measures are put in place to ensure that there is no direct or inappropriate contact between the jury members and applicants during the evaluation phase. This helps guarantee that all applications are assessed objectively and on equal footing.

If an applicant has concerns or requires clarification regarding feedback or results, they may raise it through the official organising team channels. Any such queries are handled in a structured and respectful manner.

Overall, the entire process is designed to ensure that evaluations are conducted in complete fairness, independence, and good faith, preserving the credibility of the Awards and the integrity of the experience for all participants.

One set of winners from all the countries.

From the moment you apply to the Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA), you enter a structured ecosystem designed not just as a competition, but as a journey of growth, visibility, and learning. The intention is to ensure that every applicant gains meaningful value from the experience, regardless of how far she progresses in the selection process.

• No applicant leaves empty-handed: the entire journey is designed to create impact at every stage, whether or not you are selected for the semifinals. Participants benefit from exposure, reflection, and structured engagement that support both personal and business growth.
• Workshops are structured around different pillars, all with one shared objective: to help women entrepreneurs upskill themselves and strengthen their foundations as business leaders.
• One consistent pillar since 2023, and continuing this year, is the mental, emotional, and physical wellness workshop, focused on resilience, balance, and overall well-being, because sustainable entrepreneurship starts with the entrepreneur herself.
• The process is not only about selection, but also about development. It encourages clarity, confidence-building, and deeper awareness of one's entrepreneurial journey.
• The launch event is open to all applicants, and represents one of the key moments of the WEA cycle. It is a space where the wider community comes together beyond the selection stages.
• At the launch event, applicants gain access to the WEA ecosystem, including entrepreneurs, mentors, sponsors, and partners, creating opportunities for connection, visibility, and potential collaboration.
• This access often leads to meaningful conversations and opportunities that extend well beyond the competition itself.
• For winners, the journey goes a step further: beyond receiving the title, they benefit from massive media coverage and strong social media visibility, significantly amplifying their profile and business exposure.
• Winners are also invited to connect with past edition winners, who can share firsthand how WEA has impacted their business journey and contributed to their growth over time.

In essence, WEA is designed as a continuum, from application to community, where every step creates value, and where visibility, learning, and opportunity extend far beyond the final results.

Finals Format

The WEA Finals will take place on the 31st of October in Mauritius, in front of a live audience, where all finalists will be required to deliver a pitch presentation to the jury and audience.

An equal amount of pitching time will be allocated to both in-person and online finalists to ensure fairness throughout the competition.

A rehearsal will be organised approximately 15 days before the event for online finalists only, to ensure that all technical aspects are functioning properly and to avoid any issues on the day of the finals.

Residents of Mauritius

Attendance at the finals is compulsory for finalists residing in Mauritius. As the finals are a key part of the competition experience and public showcase, finalists are expected to be physically present at the venue on the day of the event.

Residents of Rodrigues & International Finalists

Finalists from Rodrigues and other participating countries and territories will have the opportunity to participate through our digital platform if they are unable to travel to Mauritius.

However, we strongly encourage all online finalists to attend the finals physically in Mauritius, as the event also offers valuable networking, visibility, media exposure, and collaboration opportunities.

The WEA team will also work towards facilitating preferential rates and special arrangements with selected travel and hospitality partners whenever possible to support finalists wishing to travel for the event.

Online participants will be fully responsible for ensuring they have a stable Wi-Fi/internet connection, proper audio, and an adequate setup for their presentation. If technical issues on the participant's side prevent the jury from hearing or understanding the pitch properly, the participant may be disqualified. Only one opportunity will be given to each finalist.

Inability to Attend the Finals

Please note that any finalist who is unable to attend or participate in the finals, including due to illness, travel issues, or unforeseen circumstances, will automatically be disqualified.

As the event production, jury scheduling, logistics, and invitations will already have been confirmed well in advance, it will unfortunately not be possible to postpone, reschedule, or modify the event format for individual situations.

By participating in the competition, all finalists acknowledge and accept these conditions.

That said, we understand that exceptional circumstances can arise. Each situation may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the WEA team, and finalists are encouraged to reach out to us directly should any issue arise.

The Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) is built on strong collaborations with organisations that share the same vision of empowering and showcasing women entrepreneurs.

We welcome partnerships and sponsorships from companies, institutions, and organisations that wish to actively support this mission and be part of a high-impact regional platform.

• Organisations interested in partnering can reach out directly to the WEA team through our official contact channels (website or email).
• A dedicated discussion will then be arranged to understand your objectives, brand alignment, and the type of collaboration you are looking for.
• Partnership opportunities can range from strategic sponsorships, category sponsorships, event support, visibility partnerships, or ecosystem collaborations.

Each partnership is designed in a tailored way to ensure mutual value, giving sponsors meaningful visibility while contributing to the growth and recognition of women entrepreneurs across the region.