The Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition (CEC) is a free annual global competition run by Stiftung Entrepreneurship (Germany) that empowers young people from age 13 to develop and pitch business ideas for a more peaceful and sustainable world. Participants from 141 nations have joined since the competition launched in 2014.
Published timeline: The historical CEC 2026 competition period was March 2–June 5, 2026. May 4, 2026 was the last day for submissions and completion of both courses and the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas; no cutoff clock or timezone is stated. Voting ran May 5–June 5, followed by judging June 6–22 and the announced June 23 winners milestone. June 5 ended voting, rather than submissions. The 2026 procedure accepted ideas that had not yet resulted in a start-up, rather than projects from existing businesses. No 2027 dates are announced in the checked official sources.
Three phases:
- Idea Submission & Entrepreneurial Design — Submit a short pitch, complete two online courses, and fill out the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas (EDC) outlining vision, feasibility, financing, and impact.
- Public Voting — Ideas submitted for voting after completing the required courses and Entrepreneurial Design Canvas are published on the Entrepreneurship Campus platform; participants gather votes from the global community.
- Jury Decision — The ten submissions with the most votes are reviewed by an expert jury; winners are selected based on social impact, feasibility, and entrepreneurial design.
What participants gain:
- Access to free online entrepreneurship courses and resources
- Global community of founders and mentors from 141 countries
- Professional jury feedback for finalists
- Visibility for their project or social venture
Eligibility: Age 13+, any country, any background. Ideas must address one or more of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Entirely free to participate.
Checked November 4, 2026 against the official competition overview and competition procedure. Free account registration is available, but it does not establish a 2027 competition window.