11 Nov 2026 · London
Women in Action Summit 2026
Six women will pitch live in front of 700 people on 11 November. Two will walk away with £10,000 each. No equity. No strings. No catch.
The awards
Women-led businesses are consistently underfunded. Female Invest exists to change where the money sits, so once a year we put some of ours where our mouth is.
On 11 November, at our Women in Action Summit in London, we're giving away two £10,000 awards. Six finalists pitch live on stage. The audience, all 700 women in the room, decides who wins.
We don't take equity. We don't take a cut. We don't ask for anything in return. We just want to back women who are actually doing something.
Pick the one that fits. You can only apply for one.
For the woman building the next big thing.
Three years into a business or three weeks into an idea. If you're building something with commercial ambition, and capital is what stands between you and the next step, this one is yours.
For the woman changing the world for the better.
A social enterprise, a campaign, a community, a cause. If your work makes life measurably better for other people and £10,000 would let you reach further, this one's for you.
Torn between the two? Choose the one that describes why you started.
From application to stage in five steps.
About 20 minutes, plus a 90-second video. Applications open 5 October and close 18 October.
Three women per award, six in total. Finalists are notified by 26 October.
At a venue in London on the evening of 11 November. We'll brief you on format, timing and the venue itself when you're shortlisted.
700 women in the room decide. No judging panel, no boardroom, no closed door.
Announced and handed over on the night, in front of everyone.
Four things need to be true.
You identify as a woman and are 18 or over
You're building a business, idea, project or cause, at any stage
You can be in London on the evening of 11 November 2026 to pitch live
You're willing to record a 90-second video as part of your application
Six women make the stage. Two take the cheque. All six leave with something worth having.
Your pitch, live in front of 700 ambitious women, plus the panellists, press and partners in the room.
Free entry for you and two guests, so you can bring the people who got you here.
Professional photography from the night, yours to use however you like.
Coverage across Female Invest channels, in front of a community of over a million women.
Every one of the six finalists goes home with something from our award partners. It is not a tote bag.
We're reading for potential, not polish. Here is exactly what the six shortlist places are judged on.
Can you explain what you're doing, and who it's for, in a single sentence? We're reading for clear thinking, not jargon.
What changes if this works? For a business that might be customers served or a market shifted. For a cause, it might be lives made better.
Is this actually doable from where you're standing, and do you have a specific plan for the £10,000?
How you tell your story, and how you'll hold a room of 700 people on the night.
The application takes about 20 minutes. If you're building something you believe in, leave the imposter syndrome at the door. We'd love to hear from you.
Start your applicationApplications close 23:59 BST, 18 October 2026
Everything else is in the Terms & Conditions, or email support@femaleinvest.com.
Applications open on 5 October 2026 and close at 23:59 BST on 18 October 2026. We can't accept late entries, so don't leave the video to the last night.
£20,000 in total: £10,000 for The Builder and £10,000 for The Changemaker. It's cash. We take no equity, no repayment and no cut of anything you build afterwards.
You can apply from anywhere in the world. But if you're shortlisted you must attend in person on 11 November and pitch live on stage, because the audience votes in the room, so there's no remote option. Travel and accommodation aren't covered, so please factor that in before you apply.
Any stage. An idea on paper, a side project, a pilot, or a company with customers and revenue. We judge what you've done relative to where you are, so an idea-stage applicant isn't competing against a scale-up on traction.
No. One application, one award. If you're genuinely torn, pick the one that describes why you started rather than what you sell.
Most applicants haven't. We're not looking for a polished performer, we're looking for someone with something to say. Every finalist gets briefed on format and timing before the night.
We read every single application. We would love to reply to every one personally, but we can't, so here is how to read the silence.
Before 26 October, we are still deciding. No news is genuinely no news.
If you have not heard from us by 26 October, you have not been selected this time. We're sorry to do it that way, and we're grateful you applied.
Not to apply. Finalists get free tickets for themselves and two guests. If you're not shortlisted, you're very welcome to come as a guest. Tickets are on sale separately.
The audience. After the three pitches in each category, the 700 women in the room vote live. There's no judging panel and no tie-break behind closed doors.
Completely. Female Invest takes no equity, no intellectual property and no rights over your business. We do ask permission to use your application video and event footage in our content, which is set out in the Terms & Conditions.
Your application is read by the Female Invest team only. Anything commercially sensitive stays with us, and we'll never publish numbers from your application without asking you first.
Female Invest Pitch Competition: The Builder & The Changemaker Awards. £10,000 prize each.
The promoter of this competition is Female Invest ApS, registered at Farvergade 17, 2 floor, 1463 Copenhagen, Denmark ("Female Invest" or the "Promoter"). Contact email: support@femaleinvest.com.
The competition is a skill-based pitch competition in which entrants submit a written application and a short video (maximum 90 seconds) pitching an idea, project or initiative. The competition is not a lottery and does not rely on chance.
The competition is open to individuals aged 18 years or over at the time of entry.
The competition is open to individuals who identify as women.
Entrants may be of any nationality.
Entrants must be able to attend and pitch in person at the Female Invest event in London on 11 November 2026.
Female Invest does not cover or arrange travel, accommodation, visas, or related expenses. Entrants are solely responsible for making their own arrangements.
The following are not eligible to enter:
Entry is free and no purchase is required.
To enter, entrants must complete the online application form in full and submit a link to a video pitch of no more than 90 seconds.
The video link must be accessible to Female Invest without a password or access request, and must remain accessible for at least three days after submission. Female Invest is unable to consider an entry whose video it cannot open.
Only one entry per person is permitted, in one award category only.
Entries must be received by 23:59 UK time (BST) on 18 October 2026. Entries received after this time will not be considered.
The written application and video pitch should describe:
There is no requirement for the idea to be incorporated or associated with an existing company.
All eligible entries will be reviewed by the Female Invest team. Three entrants per award category, six in total, will be shortlisted to progress to the final stage.
Entries will be assessed based on qualitative criteria, including but not limited to:
Shortlisted entrants will be notified by 26 October 2026. Given the volume of entries expected, Female Invest is unable to respond to every entrant individually. Entrants who have not been contacted by 26 October 2026 have not been shortlisted.
Shortlisted finalists will be invited to pitch live at the Female Invest event in London on 11 November 2026.
One winner per award category will be selected by audience vote at the event.
The decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Where a shortlisted finalist is unable to attend, Female Invest reserves the right to offer their place to another entrant.
Two prizes are awarded: one for The Builder award and one for The Changemaker award.
Each winner will receive a cash prize of £10,000 (ten thousand pounds sterling).
The prize is awarded to the individual winner and is non-transferable.
No alternative prize is available.
The prize does not involve any equity, investment, or obligation to enter into a commercial relationship with Female Invest.
Tax treatment depends on the winner's individual circumstances. In many cases, prize money is not taxed as income; however, winners are responsible for checking their own tax position and for any tax liabilities arising from receipt of the prize.
Female Invest does not provide tax advice.
Entrants retain full ownership of their ideas, projects, and intellectual property submitted as part of the competition.
By entering, entrants grant Female Invest a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to review submitted materials and to record, photograph, and film pitches delivered at the event.
Female Invest may use excerpts of recordings, images, and pitches for promotional and marketing purposes.
Finalists and the winner agree to participate in reasonable publicity related to the competition, including photography, filming, and the use of their name, image, and pitch excerpts for promotional purposes.
Personal data collected in connection with the competition (including names, contact details, and video submissions) will be used solely for administering the competition, and retained only for as long as is necessary for that purpose.
Data will be processed in accordance with Female Invest's privacy policy: femaleinvest.com/eu/privacy-policy
Female Invest reserves the right to disqualify any entry that:
Female Invest reserves the right to cancel, amend, or suspend the competition where necessary due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control.
Last updated 15 September 2026.