What is the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge?
The Postcode Lottery Green Challenge is a contest that rewards inventions that successfully combine sustainability, entrepreneurship and creativity. The jury looks for products and services that contribute to an eco-friendly lifestyle, directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and score highly on convenience, quality and design.

Who's behind the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge?
The Dutch Postcode Lottery is the organiser of the competition. The Dutch Postcode Lottery works for a greener, fairer world by supporting charities in the Netherlands and abroad.

Why do this?
Climate change presents a pressing challenge for us all. The world needs help embracing a new, greener lifestyle, and one bright idea can make a big difference. We started the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge to promote the invention of great new green products and services. With ideas like these, the whole world wins.

Until when will the 2013 Postcode Lottery Green Challenge be open?

Sustainable entrepreneurs can enter their business plans through our site until 17 July 2013, 23:59 CEST (Amsterdam time). If you sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Facebook, you will be kept informed of all the latest news and developments.

 

How do I enter this competition?

The only way to enter this competition is by first registering yourself and then filling out the entry form. Make sure to attach your balance sheets and budget plan. We also highly recommend you enter the URL to your elevator pitch in your entry form.

After completing your entire entry, click the button "I'm finished, Submit my idea", and you will receive a copy and confirmation of your entry by email.

Can you send me the entry forms?

You can download the entry form here. You can use it to prepare your answers, and gather all the information you need. When complete, please copy all your answers in the entry form online, and upload all required documents such as your financial plans and images of the product. We also highly recommend you enter the URL to your elevator pitch in your entry form. The only way to officially enter this competition is to register and fill in your business plan online.

 

I only just had this idea so I don't have any balance sheets yet. Is this really necessary?

Yes, at least a very detailed financial plan is necessary. We're looking for something more than just an idea, we're looking for a business plan that is well thought out, including its financial structure. So think about the costs of realising your plan, production costs, material costs, marketing costs, staff costs, overhead etc. Put everything you can think of in a detailed financial plan and upload that if you haven't got balance sheets yet.

If you are not an official company yet, that's ok. But your idea or product has to be something that you've been working on for some time, it should be ready to go to market in two years, and so it needs to be something that you want to spend the next 10 years of your life on to build up your company.

How safe is my idea once I have entered all the details?

At the end of the entry form we ask you to check a box if you do not object to us publishing or forwarding your idea to interested parties such as investors. If you do object, check the box, and nobody besides the preliminary jury will read your business plan.

We have no interest in copying your plan. It's your idea, you should be the one to develop it and bring it to market.

 

Can I enter more than 1 idea?

In theory, you could enter several ideas in the competition, as long as you enter them using different accounts (so using a new email address for every idea). However, please realise that the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge is looking for a bit more than just ideas. We are looking for business plans for CO2 reducing products or services that could be in the market in 2 years. We also require balance sheets and budget plans uploaded for every entry.

If all of this doesn't present a problem to you, please feel free to enter as many plans as you like!

What if my idea doesn't fit any of your categories?
Every idea could be placed in a category all on its own. But that would make the judging process impossible. Therefore, you must select the category that most closely fits your idea.

How many entries have you received in 2012?
We received 509 complete entries by the deadline in 2012. But what counts isn't how many ideas we receive; it's how many good ones we get. Let's see what the preliminary jury has to say about this year's entries.

 
What happens to the ideas that don't win?
We're in touch with a number of organisations that are interested in helping to realise ideas that don't win. On your entry form, you can give these parties permission to contact you directly. The purpose of the Challenge is to get people to think about products and services that can make the planet greener. We hope many of these ideas will be realised – not just the ones that take the prizes!

What happens if I get selected as a finalist?
You will be invited to come to Amsterdam from in September 2013. Your travel and accommodation will be arranged and paid for. Professionals will help you to prepare a presentation for the jury. We'll also arrange a number of other interesting meetings for you.

On Monday 16 September, you will present your business case before the international jury and an audience. The jury will announce the winner on the same day.

We are entering as a team. Can we all come to Amsterdam if our team is selected as a finalist?
Only one person will be invited to come to Amsterdam. This person will be required to present the idea to the jury on behalf of the group.

Who were the previous year's finalists?
Go to our overview of Green Challenge finalists since 2007.

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Please send your question to the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge team using our helpdesk form.
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