The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the University of Cape Town, along with Douglas Knowledge Partners, are thrilled to announce the fourth annual Youth Innovation Prize (YIP) in partnership with the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation.
The YIP provides a platform for young, emerging writers, thinkers and creatives to explore, shape and communicate potential solutions to issues that matter to them. The annual essay competition also aims to uncover and support the next generation of local talent through mentorship and development opportunities.
This year, we invite young people to send us written, video or audio essays on the theme, “Innovations for Gender Equality.”
We are inviting young people between the ages of 18 and 30 to submit a written essay of 1,500–2,000 words, or a 5 to 8 minute video or audio essay, setting out their proposed solution for enhancing gender equality.
Why are we focusing on “gender equality” this year?
According to the United Nations, achieving full gender equality could take close to 300 years if the current rate of progress continues. Initiatives are urgently needed to safeguard the rights of women, improve their representation in leadership, and build more inclusive economies and societies. In South Africa, 2024 also marks 30 years of democracy and the formal recognition of all women in our country as equal citizens through the Bill of Rights. Nevertheless, our society remains one in which women’s and girls’ lives are often marked by violence, workplace inequality and greater proportions of unpaid and domestic work.
It is against this backdrop that we invite entrants to develop innovative ideas for a more just and gender-equal society. For example, you might set out a plan for a new business that supports women’s health; a non-profit or public sector innovation that supports women entrepreneurs; or a creative endeavour that challenges harmful gender norms and promotes nurturing and peaceful masculinities. We’d love to learn how your great idea could enable South African women, in all their diversity, to flourish. Be creative, surprise us – but also be pragmatic, showing us in detail the interconnection of gender equality with socioeconomic development and how the idea could really work in your local context and beyond.
The YIP is more than a competition: it’s a development opportunity. Entrants with the most promising essays will receive coaching and mentorship from our communication and social innovation experts. This support will help take your essay – along with your thinking and communication skills – to the next level.
Shortlisted entrants will also gain exposure to the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship at UCT, the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, Douglas Knowledge Partners and other organisations in our network, all of whom are interested in engaging with talented young people. This exposure could open the door to job opportunities, freelance roles or further study – as it has for many of our finalists and winners in the past.
The winning entry this year will receive a R10,000 cash prize, and second- and third-place entries will each receive a R5,000 cash prize.
Understanding and acting upon South Africa’s gender equality challenge calls for collaboration across sectors and an intersectional approach that considers race, disability,
socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Looking back in history shows the power of intersectional innovation. During apartheid, for example, Nomalizo Leah Tutu co-founded the South African Domestic Workers Association to advocate for better working conditions for domestic workers in South Africa. Their exploitation in the workplace was not only because they were women, but because they were Black women of a lower socioeconomic status.
Similarly, your idea may spotlight a particular group of women, such as mothers, women with disabilities or queer women, and explore a solution to a challenge they face. Think big but remain grounded in specifics.
See below our 12 helpful tips for writing your essay.
