Editor’s Note
The Cartier Women’s Initiative has opened applications for its 2026 awards, marking 18 years of supporting women entrepreneurs worldwide. This program addresses the unique challenges women face in business, from funding gaps to societal barriers, highlighting the ongoing need for greater inclusion in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Cartier Women’s Initiative, the French firm’s program that provides financial, social, and human support to women worldwide, has opened its application call for 2026, the year it celebrates its 18th anniversary.
It’s no secret that women entrepreneurs face many challenges, such as sexist prejudices, social expectations, a lack of role models, as well as access to funding and building a support network. This endless list of walls makes greater female inclusion in the business ecosystem necessary, to demonstrate that their strength, courage, and determination are remarkable.
Eighteen years ago, the high jewelry firm Cartier set out to support these women entrepreneurs to develop their full potential and succeed in tearing down these walls. Thus, the Cartier Women’s Initiative was born. Since 2006, it has evolved into a comprehensive international entrepreneurship program that encourages and supports influential entrepreneurs and their businesses worldwide.
The Cartier Women’s Initiative aims to highlight the impact of women entrepreneurs and provide them with the necessary financial, social, and human support to grow their business and develop their leadership skills.
The program includes 10 awards: 9 regional awards and 1 thematic award, which recognize and support talented impact entrepreneurs from around the world who use business as a positive force. Furthermore, it is open to women-led or women-owned businesses from any country and sector that aim to achieve a sustainable and decisive social or environmental impact on society.
Based on the Cartier Women’s Initiative selection criteria, the jury selects and ranks the top three candidates per category, who will receive financial support of up to $100,000, a network of over 500 influential leaders worldwide, and human support from Cartier. The announcement of the ranking of the awardees takes place during the awards ceremony.
The Cartier Women’s Initiative opened the application call for the 2026 edition on April 18 and will close on June 24. The 2026 edition will include nine regional awards and the Science & Technology Pioneer Award. In 2026, the names of the 30 visionaries will be announced, who will be recognized during the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards ceremony, to be held in Thailand in 2026.
Eighteen years later, the Cartier Women’s Initiative has become a holistic leadership program that has supported 330 impact entrepreneurs from 66 countries. Since its creation, it has contributed a total of $12,223,000 to the impact businesses of the beneficiaries and has created a strong network of over 500 active community members spanning nearly 80 countries.