Global Citizen & PayPal Small Business Impact 2026 Awards.

The Global Citizen and PayPal Small Business Impact Awards were established to support business owners and founders who are driving real impact in their communities by demonstrating a deep commitment to equity and sustainability in their business practices. We are looking for creative small and medium-sized business owners who have developed innovative products and services to make a positive social or environmental impact.

The awards platform will grant these groundbreaking small- and medium-sized businesses a 20K cash prize and connect them to data and insights, technical training, and marketing/brand activations to accelerate their work and impact.

Benefits

The awards platform will grant these groundbreaking small- and medium-sized businesses a 20K cash prize and connect them to data and insights, technical training, and marketing/brand activations to accelerate their work and impact. 

Requirements

• Active Business Leader
  Be the owner, founder or CEO that plays a crucial role in the current business.
• Online Presence
  Have an online presence that allows your customers to buy your product. 
• Small-to-Medium Sized Business
  The business must be classified as a small-medium-sized business, typically with fewer than 50 full-time employees or annual revenue under $1 million (subject to local regulations and standards). 
• Demonstrate Community Impact
  The business needs to have 1-5 years of impact in their community. 
  The business should demonstrate significant, tangible contributions to the local community. This may include, but is not limited to:
  • Supporting local causes, charities, or nonprofit organizations. 
  • Engaging in community development projects or local partnerships. 
  • Implementing sustainable practices that benefit the local environment or economy. 
  • Creating jobs or providing educational/training opportunities for community members. 

• Location
  The business must be based in one of these regions:  North America,  Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America
• ? Exclusions:
  • The business must not be affiliated with an organization from any country or entity subject to financial or other sanctions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) or other government entity of the United States of America that may restrict the transfer of the Award 
  • The business must not be a franchise or part of a national or international chain, as the focus is on independent, locally owned enterprises. 
  • You must live and work in North America,  Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America to be eligible.  

Selection Process

Innovation

• How your business’s innovation supports your mission and creates a positive societal or environmental impact.

Vision

• Compelling vision and concrete plans for how to expand this work in the next 3-5 years.

Impact

• Demonstrated track-record of measurable impact the last 3-5 years, advancing one or more of the Global Goals.

Method of Application

The application consists of four parts: (1) About you & about your business, (2) Pitch (3) Description of how your work aligns with the judging criteria (4) Supplemental organizational details (upon request)

For the first part, you will be required to submit basic information about you and your business.

For the second part, you must explain why you deserve this award and provide us with a 1-2 minute video of your pitch. 

For the third part, you will be required to answer four short answer questions about your work. In 250 words or less, you will describe how you meet each one of the Awards’ criteria.

For More Information,

Visit the Official Webpage

Application Deadline: July 19, 2026.