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Applications are now open for the 2026 Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. Click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
Opportunity Details
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation. The Prize awards commercialisation support to African innovators developing scalable engineering solutions to local challenges. These innovations show the importance of engineering in improving quality of life and economic development.
The Africa Prize offers a unique benefits package for up to 16 shortlisted participants to help accelerate their business including:
Applicant requirements
Applicants can apply as an individual or on behalf of a team.
The applicant must be a citizen of a country in sub-Saharan Africa*. For teams of two or more, the lead applicant (the person participating in training) must be a citizen of a country in sub-Saharan Africa*.
The applicant must be ordinarily based in sub-Saharan Africa*; if based overseas, this must be temporary for studies or otherwise.
The applicant must be over the age of 18 when applications close on 23 September 2025. There is no upper age limit.
The applicant must have a high level of English proficiency, which will allow them to fully participate in the entire programme. The application must be written in English.
The applicant cannot be an alumni of the Africa Prize or part of the same team, business or innovation that has been through the Prize.
Industrial researchers and establishments are not eligible.
Alumni of the Academy’s Advance programme or alumni of the Leaders in Innovation Fellowship (LIF) programme who participated after June 2024 are not eligible to apply to the Africa Prize. LIF alumni who participated in the LIF programme before June 2024 may be eligible if they can evidence through their application why participation in the Africa Prize is necessary and/or will add value to them and their business.
Innovation requirements
The innovation must be based in a country in sub-Saharan Africa*
The innovation can be any innovative product, technology or service, based on any area of engineering defined in its broadest sense to encompass a wide range of fields.
The innovation must be beyond the ideation stage and in the early stages of commercialisation. The innovation must:
The innovation does not have to be new. It can be an adaptation of existing technology or the first application of existing technology in a new market
The applicant must provide a letter of consent from the originators/collaborators of the IP to this innovation, where relevant.
The applicant must provide a technical diagram and photo that showcases the technical aspects of the innovation as part of their application.
* For the purposes of the programme, the Academy’s definition of sub-Saharan Africa includes all countries defined by the African Union within Central, East, Southern, and West Africa. These are: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, eSwatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
For hardware-based innovations, you should:
Have built one or more working prototypes that prove the technical concept and performance
Have evolved the design ready for initial commercial production
Have realistic cost and schedule estimates for manufacture
Have clear evidence that an early version of their innovation is generating traction with a sufficient number of prospective customers to underpin for initial revenues and profitability
For software-based innovations, you should:
Have developed a minimum viable product with demonstrable functionality
Have clear evidence that the minimum viable product is generating traction with a sufficient number of prospective customers to underpin forecasts for initial revenues and profitability
The programme uses a two-stage application process. Please read the Guidance Notes thoroughly for more information on the programme, eligibility and advice on answering the application questions.
Application instructions
Guidance Notes
Africa Prize 2026 Application Guidance Notes
Evaluation Process
Stage one
Tell us about yourself and your innovation so we can assess if you and your innovation are suitable for our programme. It will take about 90 minutes to complete. This stage focuses on your technical innovation, team details, and basic eligibility to help us understand your innovation.
Eligible applications are reviewed by two technical experts from the Academy's network who assess the technological viability and credibility of your engineering solution. A longlist of candidates with the highest scores will be invited to complete stage two at the end of October 2025.
Stage two
This is more detailed, covering your business plan, market analysis, financial projections and commercialisation strategy. Only long-listed applicants will be invited to complete their Stage 2 applications at the end of October 2025, which will be reviewed by our panel of expert judges.
If successful you will be shortlisted for the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation and selected to join our eight-month programme.
Apply for Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation