This is outlined in the Terms & conditions.

For nominators, the window is open from October 21^st, 2024 – November 15^th, 2024. For nominees, the window is open till December 2024. To receive updates, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter.

Our nominators include organisations such as universities, research institutes, governmental organisations, charities, non-profits, international development agencies, accelerators and incubators, industry associations, brands, suppliers and previous GCA winners. All nominators are doing this pro bono and are not getting paid.

We are looking for changemakers (individuals and/or organisations) that strive to challenge the status quo and are passionate about advancing their ideas to help decarbonise the textile and fashion industry. The common denominator is that our changemakers are early-stage and have the commitment, capacity, and drive to solve problems through ideas that need to address our key areas; sustainable materials and processes, responsible production, mindful consumption and wildcards; namely ideas that may not neatly fall into our desired categories but that have a clear connection to the overall goals of the GCA.

Nominations are now closed. To receive updates about the GCA cycle , make sure to subscribe to our Newsletter.

No, participating is free of charge.

No, only one entry per person is allowed. Learn more in the Terms & Conditions.

Yes, but remember that you must own all rights connected to the idea.

All winners are presented here.

We are looking for early-stage ideas, meaning ideas thar are still very young. Typically, but not always, the changemaker or their idea(s), would not have received any funding at this stage, the solution/product/service has not necessarily been validated and the path to turning it into a reality is unclear. 

The idea also needs to fall into one of these areas of transformations: sustainable materials & processes, responsible production, mindful consumption and what we call wildcards; namely ideas that may not neatly fall into our desired categories but that have a clear connection to the overall goals of the GCA. 

We are crowning 10 winners in 2025 and annually going forward

Winners will be announced in April 2025 but celebrated and further connected with the industry at our Award Ceremony in Stockholm in October.

We will involve a reference group of experts, predominantly from the textile industry, to screen the candidates. Finalists will also be reviewed by an expert panel before a final decision being is taken by the H&M Foundation board.

Winners are selected based on a combination of factors. These include where they are in the innovation journey: whether they fall under one of our four key areas, their capacity to embrace systems change thinking, and their commitment, capacity and initiative to solve problems. The goal of the award is to advance promising ideas to concept validation.

The GCA Expert Panel has extensive knowledge within fashion, business, investments, entrepreneurship, and innovation. They are part of selecting our winners and play an active role in the GCA Changemaker Programme.

A full list will be announced early 2025. See previous expert panels here.

No, they all participate pro bono. 

The winners each receive €200,000 and enter a yearlong Changemaker Programme, curated with our GCA partners, designed to elevate their ideas with a strong focus on personal development and systems thinking. 

Our aim is to equip them with an understanding of their own ability to drive change, the textile industry at large, and a holistic systems thinking mindset to promote solutions that will benefit both people and the planet.

The 10 winners each receive €200,000. 

The grant, financed by the H&M Foundation, should be invested in the development of the winners’ ideas or work related to that. It is up to the winners themselves to decide how the grant is best used. They are the experts, and they know their innovation best. They are also quite different and have unique needs. For example, some may use the grant to create materials in a lab, while some invest in a 3D scanner or invest in marketing. In some cases, the money is used to hire staff. This sets the Global Change Award apart from many other innovation challenges where it is often necessary to report on specific KPIs. This is also highly appreciated by the winners because the freedom of being able to invest in a way best suited to their needs means a lot for their development. The grant is paid out in two tranches. The first when they are announced as winners, and the second after completion of the Changemaker Programme.

We follow up in multiple ways. We engage in a relationship with the winners through the GCA Changemaker Programme and have close contact with them and follow their progress. We also ask the winners to report on the use of the grant; initially when announced as winners and further down the line on completion of the Changemaker Programme.

No. H&M Foundation, nor our partners, take any equity or intellectual property rights in the innovations. The idea is to find the changemakers and innovations that have the potential to drive meaningful change for the entire industry. The winners are free to collaborate with whomever they want.

The Terms & conditions and Privacy notice explains this in detail but to keep it simple: do not send us critical unprotected details. Instead, focus on the bigger picture in your application. All entrants understand that the H&M Foundation may use any information submitted for the sole purpose of promoting the competition and the participants. And remember, we want you to succeed, and we want you to own the IP.