What are you looking for?
The Saxon Founder Award is looking for innovative ideas and business concepts, regardless of whether these ideas have already been implemented on the market or are still being realized.
How and where do I apply?
Applications for the Saxon Founder Award 2026 will be accepted exclusively via the online form provided between October 30, 2025 and February 25, 2026, 11:59 pm. You can submit the application in German as well as in English.
After the final submission, the application can no longer be edited and data attachments can no longer be added.</p
How does the competition work?
After the application deadline, the submissions will be checked for innovative content and compliance with the formal participation criteria.
All approved applications will go to the jury for the first round of judging, who will evaluate the concepts using a points scale. Their assessments result in a ranking for each category. The three best teams/companies will be announced as nominees at the beginning of April.
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<p>These finalists then pitch their business concept to the jury in the
second round of judging. This will determine the
award winners, who will be announced at the
Saxon Innovation Conference.
The evaluation will be based on the following criteria:
- Customer benefit and innovation content
- Team constellation and feasibility
- Commercialization and market potential
Further details on the process can be found here.
How do the three price categories differ?
The Saxon Founder Award is presented in three categories.
- Newcomer of the Year: for companies/teams founded from January 1, 2025 until the planned foundation by the end of 2026 at the latest
- Start-up of the Year: for companies founded 2021 - 2024
- Scale-up of the Year: for companies founded between 2016 and 2020
Do I have to actively apply for the categories?
No, the categories result from the specified founding year, all companies are automatically assigned to the correct category. The same application form applies to all.
What is the date of incorporation?
The entry in the commercial register or the receipt of confirmation from the tax office, if not subject to registration, counts as the date of foundation.
In the case of past reorganizations or takeovers, where the business purpose remained the same, the date of foundation of the old company counts.
If the business purpose has been changed, the date of the changed company name counts as the date of foundation.
Does the (planned) company have to be based in Saxony?
Yes, individuals, start-up teams and companies that have their registered office in Saxony (if not yet established) are eligible for the Saxon Founder Award.
If a company based outside Saxony has branches or subsidiaries in the Free State, participation in the competition is possible as long as these are registered in Saxony as a legal form.
Who evaluates?
The jury lists will be published from the end of 2025 and will be updated on an ongoing basis. The overviews will then be linked here.
I have applied before. Can I apply again?
Yes, you can participate again as long as a clear further development of the business model can be stated - the corresponding description option can be found in the application form.
If you have already won or been awarded the Saxon Founder Award (including the special prizes), Transfer Award or Innovation Award , you can participate with a new business concept, a further development is not sufficient here.
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What is the special NextGen price?
For the special NextGen prize, companies/teams whose oldest member is not older than 21 years at the time of application will be considered from all submissions. A corresponding query is included in the application form. There is no separate application form for the special prize and no separate jury. The team with the most points will be awarded. There is a high-quality non-cash prize to be won.
How much prize money is available?
The Saxon State Prize for Business (Saxon Startup Prize and Saxon Transfer Prize) comes with a total prize fund of up to €40,000. Winners in the Scale-up category also receive the “Track to Scale”—a growth package specifically tailored to the needs of the growth phase.
The prize money may constitute state aid for the winners. To the extent that this constitutes state aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, it is granted in accordance with and subject to the conditions of the “De Minimis Regulation” (EU) No. 2023/2831 of the Commission of December 13, 2023, as amended. The total amount of de minimis aid granted to a single enterprise or group of enterprises over a three-year period may not exceed 300,000 euros. A corresponding declaration will be requested upon successful nomination to complete the application documents. A de minimis certificate will be issued upon payment of the prize money. Further information on the de minimis rule can be foundhere.
