Applications are now open for the 2026 Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. 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.

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.  

Benefits

The Africa Prize offers a unique benefits package for up to 16 shortlisted participants to help accelerate their business including: 

• Eight month tailored training programme.
• Two fully-funded training weeks: one in the UK and one in a major African city.
• Access to business and technical expertise and sector-specific engineering mentoring.
• Bespoke press coverage and communications support.
• Access to the Academy’s network of high-profile engineers and business experts in the UK and Africa.
• The opportunity for finalists to present their innovation to a judging panel at the Africa Prize showcase event.
• Prize money of up to £50,000.

How to Apply

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.

Application Deadline: 23 September 2025, 4pm UTC+1

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation

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