FOLLOWING CRITERIA MUST BE MET IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THE COMPETITION:

- The idea is still in the early stages of development.
- The idea relies primarily upon local resources, including by employing local people and utilizing traditional skills.
- The idea has a vision or action plan for environmental sustainability
- The idea has a plan for economic viability and/or incremental growth.
- The idea has assessed the local market and is aware of its competitors and comparative advantages.
- The idea supports the revitalization of traditional local economies and the connection of people to their communities.
- The idea is innovative and unique compared to other businesses and projects in the community.
- The entity presenting the idea has an annual profit of less than 10,000 euros.

ELIGIBILITY

- Citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia

- Competitors may be individuals, civil society organizations, or small private companies

- People and/or organizations that are family members and/or close relatives of people working for a foundation; people or organizations who are part of the selection committee and their relatives; and public companies are not eligible. 

PRESENTATION FORMAT

Presentations are conducted by competitors accompanied by the respective foundation representative. Foundation staff may intervene on behalf of the presenter to supply pertinent information or to clarify the idea. The order of presentations will be alphabetical by the last name of competitors.

Presentations may be accompanied by PowerPoint or a short movie. Competitors may bring printed materials or sample products to display or distribute to the jury. This is not mandatory.

Length - Each presentation will last for a total of 20 minutes
10 minutes will be reserved for the presentation
10 minutes will be reserved for questions from the jury (other participants are not allowed to ask questions)

Language - The working language of the conference will be English.
A foundation representative will serve as an interpreter if the presenter of the idea does not speak English or needs assistance.
Any presentation materials, including PowerPoint presentations, should be translated into English prior to submission to the BGF.

REGIONAL COMPETITION APPLICATION DUE DATE

Each year, the competition is held in July. If a regional competitor would like to use materials such as PowerPoint presentations, photos, videos, etc. in their presentation, they must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the competition. The due date is always indicated in the registration form.