Win up to €15,000 for the development of your business
For the twelfth consecutive year, The Hague is opening the search for entrepreneurs working on innovative solutions to societal challenges. Registration for The Hague Innovators Awards 2026 is now officially open. This annual competition is an initiative of ImpactCity, part of the Municipality of The Hague, and offers start-ups, scale-ups, and students the opportunity to present their innovation to a broad and relevant audience.
With cash prizes of up to €15,000, coaching, media attention, and access to a powerful network of investors and partners, The Hague Innovators Awards has grown into a valuable springboard for entrepreneurs who combine doing good for society with doing business. Names such as Droppie, North Sea Farmers, Seepje, and Naïf Care have been able to call themselves The Hague Innovators in recent years.
New generation, fresh perspective
The challenges of our time, from climate change and food security to energy transition and social justice, call for fresh perspectives and scalable solutions. The Hague Innovators Awards focuses on entrepreneurs who contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with innovative products or services. Since last year, one of the award categories has been specifically for student entrepreneurs from The Hague who want to make a societal impact with their ideas.
A stage full of opportunities
Nominees go through an intensive program including pitch training, one-on-one coaching, and a video shoot in the Binckhaven, the beating heart of The Hague’s impact economy. Experts from Rabobank, DOEN Participaties, Unknown Group, and InnovationQuarter, among others, are part of the jury and guide the participants throughout the process.
The final takes place this year during Schaal je Impact (Scale your Impact) in November. Finalists present their innovation live on stage, after which the winners are announced.
Previous winners, such as Droppie, Solvoz, Feelou, and Rator, have been able to take a significant step towards scaling up, recognition, and new investments thanks to The Hague Innovators.
“Thanks in part to the support of ImpactCity and the Municipality of The Hague, The Hague grew into our best-performing city. Residents have already handed in hundreds of thousands of items, accounting for over 129,000 kilos of material for reuse or recycling. Great proof of how powerful collaboration can be between residents, the municipality, and entrepreneurs who really want to make an impact.” – Stef Traa, co-founder of Droppie and winner of 2025.
To register
Are you, or do you know, a Hague entrepreneur with an innovative product or service that contributes to a better future? You can register for The Hague Innovators Awards 2026 until September 1 via www.impactcity.nl.
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ImpactCity is the ecosystem for impact-driven entrepreneurs in The Hague. Under the motto ‘doing good and doing business’, ImpactCity helps entrepreneurs start and scale up their businesses with access to financing, knowledge, networks, and publicity.
www.impactcity.nl
Text + images: Impact City
Translation to English: The Hague Online