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Global call for women tech founders to compete for $85,000 in prizes and global recognition inDrive, the organiser of Aurora Tech Award, an annual global award for women founders of tech startups, has officially opened applications for the 2026 edition beginning from August 12, 2025, till November 12, 2025.
The annual global award celebrates visionary female entrepreneurs who are reshaping the future of technology and driving meaningful social change.
Founded by inDrive in 2021, the Aurora Tech Award supports women-led startups that combine innovation with impact.
Over the years, the award has grown into a powerful platform for elevating underrepresented voices in tech, with African female founders notably winning the award in three consecutive years.
The 2025 edition attracted a record-breaking 2,018 applications from 116 countries – double the number received the previous year.
Finalists represented regions including Africa, MENA, LATAM, Central Asia, and APAC, with startups spanning health tech, AI, fintech, edtech, agrotech, and more.
In 2025, 31 African innovators reached the Aurora Tech Award’s Top 120, with Nigeria’s Solape Akinpelu taking home the first prize.
To be eligible to participate, startups must meet the following criteria which include ownership or co-ownership by a woman, registration not more than 5 years, working prototype- be at pre-seed stage, within the funding limit of $6million in total investment. Eligible participants can apply by submitting an online application at auroratechaward.com.
Isabella Ghassemi-Smith, Head of the Aurora Tech Award, while speaking on the award, explained that the award is meant to unleash a next generation of women techpreneurs.