The Finalists and Laureates of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards are chosen by an independent and voluntary Jury who evaluates the projects based on criteria of creativity, sustainability and social impact.
THE JURY
Each of the five jury panels - Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America - are headed by a Jury President and made up of high-profile men and women from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines: entrepreneurs, executives of the business world, activists of the non-profit sector, academics.
They are chosen on the basis of their entrepreneurial experience, their business achievements and their commitment to the support of women entrepreneurs. The Jury's involvement is long-term and voluntary.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The projects are evaluated by the Jury in accordance with fixed criteria including but not limited to:
- Creativity: The degree of innovation shown by the overall business concept
- Sustainability: Financial impact of the business, indicating chances of long-term success
- Impact: Effect on society of the business, in terms of jobs created or its effect on the immediate or broader environment.
- Overall quality and clarity of the material presented
EVALUATION PROCESS
Step 1: Prescreening phase
The objective of the pre-screening is to ensure the compliance of the applications with the eligibility criteria. Student volunteers of INSEAD’s MBA support the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards in this task.
Step 2: Selection of the 15 finalists
Each regional panel selects its top three projects (fifteen worldwide) based on the information provided in the application form: executive summary of the business, background information on the lead candidate and her team, questions on the product and customer value proposition, the business model, the market and competition, the opportunities and risks, the financials and the motivation of the candidate.
The selected Finalists are coached during five months to prepare for the submission of the detailed business plans and the presentation of their projects to the Jury.
Step 3: Selection of the 5 Laureates
The Finalists’ detailed plans are examined and graded by each of their continent’s Jury members individually before the deliberation meeting. The plans cover the chapters requested at round 1 with additional details and precision amounting to a document of approximately 40 pages.
At the deliberation meeting in Deauville, the Juries then evaluate the Finalists’ presentations which accounts for 20% of the final mark. The decision of the jury is final, no appeals are allowed.