2014 Rolex Awards for Young Enterpreneurs

Do you know that the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, a philanthropic programme of Rolex SA, aim to encourage a spirit of enterprise in individuals around the world by supporting outstanding efforts in areas that advance human knowledge and well-being. The Awards are open to individuals of any nationality or background.


 Focus Areas
They support pioneering work in five areas:

• Science and health
• Applied technology
• Exploration and discovery
• The environment
• Cultural heritage

Prizes
The Jury will choose five Young Laureates, who will each receive CHF 50,000 and a Rolex chronometer. The Young Laureates will be honoured at an awards ceremony late in 2014 as guests of Rolex SA. The Jury may grant other prizes to applicants worthy of support. The amount of these prizes will be determined at the discretion of the Jury.

Selection Criteria
In reviewing pre-applications, Rolex will determine primarily whether the candidates show exceptional spirit of enterprise. The following criteria will also be applied to select the projects in the pre-application stage:

• Clear project purpose;
• Contribution of the project to expanding the knowledge of our world, improving the quality of life on the planet or betterment of humankind; and
• Project’s feasibility.

Eligibility Criteria
1. All candidates must be between 18 and 30 years old by December 31, 2014.
2. Pre-applications for the 2014 Rolex Awards for Enterprise may be submitted by individuals only. No institutional or collective preapplications are allowed. If a project represents the efforts of several individuals, one person must represent the group and sign the preapplication form. Should such a group effort be chosen, the Rolex Award will be presented to the individual representative. Rolex SA will have no obligation to any other members of the group.
3. No pre-applications on behalf of another person will be accepted. Preapplicants must submit their own ideas and proposals.
4. Pre-applications cannot be submitted by Rolex employees; Rolex agents and retailers and their employees; employees of advertising, public relations and any other agencies acting for Rolex; members of the immediate families of any of the above; any other person closely connected with Rolex SA. Former Rolex Awards and Young Laureates Programme Jury Members, Laureates, Associate Laureates and Young Laureates are also excluded.
5. Projects must improve the quality of life on the planet, expand knowledge of our world or contribute to the betterment of humankind.
6. Projects must be envisaged for the future or completed only in part. Completed work, or projects that will be finished when the awards are announced late in 2014, cannot be considered.

How to Participate
Applicants may submit projects through the Rolex Awards for Enterprise website http://www.rolexawards.com/. There is a two-phase application process: a pre-application, which can be submitted by any eligible candidate, followed by a full application to be submitted by some candidates, upon invitation only.

Application Deadline
The latest deadline for pre-applications will be May 31, 2013.
The five Laureates will be notified prior to June 1, 2014 that their projects have been selected by the Jury. All other applicants will be notified of the status of their projects latest by September 1, 2014.