If you have an idea – whether it’s in the incubation stage, ready to launch, or ripe for scaling up in growth – there’s an opportunity available for creators in the greater San Antonio region.
The incubator and workspace company WeWork launched the Creator Awards in March, offering $20 million in grants to creators globally.
“Anyone who brings a new idea into the world, pursues his or her passion, and believes in something greater than oneself is a creator,” WeWork CEO Adam Neumann said. “From freelancers to founders, nonprofits to small businesses, artists to educators, creators are bringing new ideas into the world – and making it a better place — every day.”
The Creator Awards are held in eight cities worldwide: Austin is one. But creators in San Antonio are eligible for consideration, too. They would travel to Austin to present their idea or plan to a live audience that includes judges, who will award $1.5 million in the Austin competition.
Grants will be available in three categories: The Incubate Award, The Launch Award, and The Scale Award. There are three different categories for consideration: aspiring entrepreneurs, startups, and established businesses.
To begin the application process, start here. The application deadline is June 12.
Finalists will be chosen to present their pitches before the live audience in Austin on June 27, when winners will receive grants and be invited to compete for additional grants at the final event in New York. After hosting several regional events across several cities in North America, Europe, and the Middle East, the process culminates at the Creator Awards Global Final on Nov. 30 in New York.
WeWork provides shared workspace, community, and services for entrepreneurs, freelancers, startups and small businesses. Co-founded by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey in New York in 2010, WeWork is a privately held company with more than 2,000 employees and a global membership of 100,000.
“You don’t have to be a WeWork member to apply,” said Debbee Hancock, WeWork’s public affairs director. “Everyone who applies gets a free membership to our global WeWork digital network, as well as access to our 140 locations worldwide.”
The Creator Awards are intended to acknowledge anyone pursuing a passion and to enable selected creators to launch or grow new, promising ideas.
“We want to celebrate all creators, so it’s open to artists, creators, nonprofits, and tech companies, just to name a few categories of creators,” Hancock said.
