Deadline: April 30, 2016
Applications are invited for the 2016 African Youth Excellence (AYE) Awards. AYE honors young Africans pursuing outstanding projects in their respective fields, while providing a platform for the discussion of pressing issues affecting the youth.
The Focus of the AYE Awards is to highlight the accomplishments of “pursuers” in the areas of art, education, information technology, entrepreneurship, innovation, and humanitarianism. The objectives are to identify, recognize, and award young Africans pursuing excellence, and create a networking platform that promotes collaboration. AYE defines a pursuer as a young person who is striving to gain or accomplish an extraordinary project aimed at highlighting Africa in a positive way. Simply put, a pursuer is a future achiever.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible to apply, applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years of age and not older than 35
- Be of an African descent (Applicant was born in Africa or born in the US but parents are originally from Africa).
- Be a resident in the United States. No Exceptions!
- Show leadership, innovation, creativity, and/or entrepreneurship in their area of focus.
- High School students must be 18 or turning 18.
- High School applicants must be graduating students. AYE will verify the academic background of students who are nominated.
Award Categories
- Young African in Arts
- Young African in Public Service
- Young African in ICT
- Young African Scholar
- Young African Entrepreneur
- Young African in Leadership
- Top High School Student
Award Ceremony/ Benefits
This will be a Black Tie Gala expecting to draw in over 200 young professionals and prominent corporate and state officials. The Gala will be held at The Mechanics Hall.
Theme: The Continent in our hands
Date: Saturday, July 23, 2016
Venue: Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St, Worcester, MA 01608
Time: 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Benefits
- AYE Award winners will be inducted into the AYE fellowship program for a stipulated period of time.
- All accepted nominees are pursuers and will have their stories on our website at least one month before the Awards ceremony.
How to Apply
Either apply as an individual/organization or nominate an individual/organization. Apply here.
- The AYE Award program selects two nominees for each category, but only awards one pursuer per category with the exception of the High School category. This category will be awarded to two students.
- All selected nominees must submit at least one professional letter of recommendation, a professional headshot, and proof of their project (s) or current achievement(s) 2 weeks after acceptance letter.
- All applicants will be informed of our decision (acceptance or rejection) via email within 3 weeks of application submission.
See complete application instructions here.
For more information, visit African Youth Excellence Awards
