The 2006 Inter-American Awards for Microenterprise Development
IDB’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Division

 

The Inter-American Awards for Microenterprise Development were created to recognize the achievements of organizations supporting microenterprise development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Beginning with the first Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise held in Mexico, these awards of recognition have been bestowed annually to leading institutions and individuals in the field of microenterprise support. The awards recognize achievement s and innovations that have had a significant impact on the economic development of the region’s microenterprises.

By highlighting successful microenterprise development organizations and innovative leaders of social enterprises, the IDB hopes to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the microfinance institutions, business development service providers, and social entrepreneurs that make up the field in Latin America and the Caribbean. The contest is open to financial institutions and non-governmental organizations involved in microfinance, as well as to institutions that provide business development services to microentrepreneurs. A special category of the awards recognizes the work of social entrepreneurs, leaders with a strong social commitment who use sound business practices to promote microenterprise and community development at a local, national or regional level.

This year the competition will favor competitors who excel in their efforts to expand access to financial and business development services for traditionally excluded groups, such as subsistence microenterprises, microentrepreneurs in rural and marginal urban areas, women microentrepreneurs and indigenous microentrepreneurs.

The award ceremony will take place on September 14 in Quito, Ecuador as part of the 9th Inter-American Microenterprise Forum, which will be held September 13-15. The IDB will invite delegates from the winning institutions to participate in the forum, which will bring together leading practitioners in the field of microenterprise and microfinance.

Inter-American Awards

The microenterprise forum and the annual competition are organized by the IDB’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Division, which will receive applications for the contest until May 22, 2006. Candidates can apply directly using the online forms on the forum’s webpage.

To apply for the contest, organizations must have headquarters in an IDB beneficiary country in Latin America or the Caribbean and a minimum of three years of experience in the area covered by the award. Organizations that have won one of these prizes in the past three years may not apply in 2006. Competitors should apply for only one of the three award categories[1]:

• Excellence in Microfinance – These awards recognize institutions that have successfully expanded the availability of financial services for microentrepreneurs who traditionally have had little or no access to such services. Prizes are given annually to a regulated institution (such as a bank) and a non-regulated institution (such as an NGO).
• Excellence in Business Development Services – Acknowledges organizations that have shown exceptional effectiveness in supplying and expanding business development services to the microenterprise sector, such as training and technical assistance; consulting and advisory services; marketing assistance; technology information development and transfer; and building supply chains or alliances.
• Excellence in Social Entrepreneurship – These prizes recognize civil society or private sector leaders who combine a strong social commitment and sound business practices to combat poverty and promote development among disadvantaged groups.

 

More information: http://www.iadb.org/sds/FOROMIC/IXforo/awards.cfm?language=En&parid=3

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