seizmic AWARDS 2024 Celebrates Creativity and Innovation
Open all year round, the seizmic AWARDS is part of the social entrepreneurship and innovation activities being developed within the Aurora 2030 programme. Led by Copenhagen Business School (CBS), the AWARDS is an opportunity to recognise the creativity and innovation of students and early-stage social entrepreneurs.
This year, the seizmic AWARDS received a total of 45 submissions from across the globe. Projects submitted are built on the seizmic APP, an open access tool for all social entrepreneurs who aim to transform their business ideas into reality.
“We started the seizmic AWARDS with a shared passion for making a positive impact,” explains Kai Hockerts, professor at CBS and seizmic project coordinator. “The diversity and innovation in the submissions reflect the collective drive for positive change worldwide. Congratulations to every participant who contributes to building a better future.”
Truly inspired by the quality of the social entrepreneurship projects submitted this year, the expert jury faced the challenging task of selecting the 2024 winners. After two rounds of jury selections, the following projects won the seizmic AWARDS 2024:
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First Place: thisABILITY
Team: Victor Ilic, Mathias Brun, Benjamin Eriksen, Augustas Skarbalius and Svend Hahn Larsen (Copenhagen Business School)
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thisABILITY is a social enterprise dedicated to raising awareness about invisible disabilities through interactive exhibitions that allow people to experience what living with such conditions feels like. In Denmark, approximately 20% of the population lives with an invisible disorder, and the challenges they face are significant. Currently, 340,000 individuals with disabilities are unemployed, with one in three young people from this group lacking a job or education – compared to less than one in ten among those without disabilities. This disparity negatively impacts the life satisfaction of individuals with hidden disabilities and costs the Danish government up to 6 billion DKK annually (approximately 800 million euros).
Runner-up: Empowering local businesses
Team: Anna Rumenova, Daniel Türk, Stijn van Meerten, Miles del Prete, Lea Marie Adams (ESADE, Spain)
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The objective is to build a sustainable business that empowers local shops by providing a digital platform to connect with both local and global customers. This social enterprise addresses a pressing social challenge: small local businesses often struggle to compete with online retail giants like Amazon. These businesses typically lack the resources, technical skills, and support necessary to establish a strong online presence, leaving them vulnerable to losing local customers to larger platforms. This trend weakens local economies, reduces the diversity of retail options and erodes respect for small businesses.
Runner-up: Synergy Hydrogen Solutions
Team: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam), Netherlands
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To address the issue of excess electricity during periods of high production and low demand, the project proposes using this surplus to produce hydrogen gas. Currently, wind turbines are often shut off because the power grid cannot accommodate the excess electricity, hindering the continuation of large solar and wind energy projects. Building local hydrogen plants can harness the full potential of existing green power sources, free up capacity for new renewable installations, and create green hydrogen fuel for mobility and various other applications.
Curious about the seizmic AWARDS 2025?
Submissions are now open! Go to seizmic AWARDS.
The Social Business Model Panorama helps in navigating each step in the development of an impactful project. To find out more, contact: seizmic@cbs.dk.