Applications for the 2026 WFF Startup Innovation Awards are open!

Award Categories

• Digital Innovation in Food Processing
• Fighting Malnutrition and Enhancing Food Security
• Enhancing Climate Resilience and Water Security
• Women in Agrifood Systems

Special Awards this Year (2026)

• Startup of the Year 2026 hosted by Seeding the Future Foundation
• Excellence in Applied AI hosted by Extreme Tech Challenge

Successful Team Benefits

• Award winners will receive at least USD $7,500 per category, with USD $2,500 awarded to runners-up.
  • The overall Startup Innovation Awards winner will receive an additional USD $10,000.
  • Selected startups will be invited to the MassChallenge Switzerland Accelerator Programme, benefiting from world-class mentoring, a tailored and comprehensive curriculum of lectures and workshops, market guidance, and access to MC's global corporate partners.
• Travel support will be provided for two finalist teams per award category to attend the WFF flagship event in Rome, Italy.
• Extensive visibility and promotional opportunities will be supported via WFF Youth Initiative social media platforms and website.

Eligibility Criteria

• Startups must be youth-led, with at least one founder or C-level executive between 18–35 years old at the time of application.
• Startup representatives who pitch during the online pitching sessions, participate in the MassChallenge, Switzerland accelerator programme, and present at the 2026 WFF flagship event in Rome, must be 35 years old or younger at the time of the event.
• Startups should have less than USD $2 million in capital raised and generated less than USD $2 million in sales.
• Applicants must demonstrate validated evidence of their digital food processing solution, such as pilots, early adoption by processors, or value-chain actors, partnerships, or measurable operational or impact results.
• Startups must be able to demonstrate the scalability of their solution and its potential for growth.
• Solutions should show a clear, measurable contribution to more efficient and sustainable agrifood systems.

Learn more and apply now.