Accessibility Innovation Prize 2025

What is the Prize?

The Accessibility Innovation Prize recognizes and supports bold new ideas in the field of digital accessibility.
The winner will receive:

• €10,000 grant to develop your solution
• Tailored mentorship from partners and industry experts
• Visibility and media exposure, including the opportunity to showcase their innovation

For the full list of scope, eligibility criteria, and submission requirements, please go to the submission criteria tab.

Eligibility criteria & strategic focus areas

We invite applications that meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Location: Based in the European Union or United Kingdom.
• Who: Individuals, startups, non-profits, academic spin-offs, or corporate teams — as long as a legal structure exists to facilitate receiving the grant. Organizations must be under 5 years old.
• Stage: Early-stage solution with a working prototype or MVP. Applicants should be able to demonstrate the impact and feasibility of their solution.

Any project that demonstrably improves digital accessibility is eligible.
To guide and inspire you, below are some 2025 key focus areas, however, they are not restrictive categories. If your idea doesn’t fit neatly in a box, that’s okay!

• AI for accessibility (ex. Generative AI that creates alt‑text or sign‑language video; LLM‑powered chatbots that simplify complex language; bias‑testing tools for AI, etc…)
• EAA compliance enablers (ex. Toolkits that help SMEs audit and remediate web/mobile apps; automated PDF remediation; self-serve accessibility statements, etc…)
• Vocal & speech accessibility (ex. Atypical speech‑recognition; personalized text‑to‑speech synthesis; smart/adaptive captioning, etc…)
• Neurodiversity & cognitive inclusion (ex. Low-load interfaces, sensory‑friendly design for XR; neuro‑inclusive analytics, etc…)
• Wild card / emerging tech (ex. Haptic wearables, brain–computer interfaces, accessible gaming, XR navigation aids, inclusive fintech, etc…)

For the list of submission requirements, please go to the submission criteria tab.

Submission Requirements

1. Executive Summary: A short overview of your innovation – what it does, who it’s for, and why it matters. (500 words max)
2. Presentation deck: A deck (PDF or similar format) covering the following:
   • Problem Statement: What accessibility barrier are you addressing?
   • Solution Description: How does your innovation work? What makes it unique or better than existing options?
   • Market: Who needs this? What’s the market size? Are there competitors?
   • Impact: How does the solution benefit people with disabilities? What results have you seen or expect.
   • Scalability: Can this grow or be adopted more widely? What are your next steps?
   • Team Information: Who is behind the project? Brief bios or relevant experience.
3. Development Stage Description Depending on where you are in your development journey, please include supporting materials that help us understand the maturity of your solution:
   • Early phase: Concept notes, initial designs, or feasibility studies that demonstrate solution viability.
   • Prototyping phase: Mock-ups, working demos, or early testing results.
   • Market-Ready phase: Technical documentation, user feedback, market data.
4. Video Pitch: A short video (3–5 minutes) introducing your team and project. Tell us who you are, what your innovation does, and what your next steps are (ex. Development, testing, rollout, etc).

We welcome submissions from both seasoned innovators and newcomers with early-stage solutions beyond the ideation phase. Our goal is to create an inclusive platform where promising ideas can be recognized and supported.

Following these submission guidelines will help our jury fully understand your innovation and assess its potential for real-world impact.

The jury of experts includes

• 

  Heather Hephburn
  Head of Accessibility, Skyscanner

• 

  Mark Lapole
  Director of Accessibility, eBay

• 

  Karen Beaune
  VP EMEA Marketing and Data for Good, Snowflake

• 

  Marie-Valentine Gallon
  Design Operations Manager, Accor

• 

  Marion Ranvier
  Executive Director, Contentsquare Foundation

Timeline

• Wednesday, 30 July 2025 Applications open.
• Friday, 10 October 2025 (12pm CET) Submissions closed.
• October to November 2025 Jury reviews applications and shortlists candidates. Shortlisted candidates may be contacted for final interview.
• December 2025 Applicants notified, winner announced.

For any questions, please contact foundation@contentsquare.com

Terms and Conditions for the Accessibility Innovation Prize

Data Privacy Notice. The Contentsquare Foundation will use your personal data and share it with authorized third parties, solely for the purpose of evaluating submissions and contacting winners. The legal basis is the performance of a contract between you and the Contentsquare Foundation. Your personal data will be kept for two years and then deleted. Read our full privacy policy for more information.

1. General Terms and Conditions
   1. Eligibility
      1. The Accessibility Innovation Prize (the "Prize") is open to individuals, nonprofits/associations, startups, foundations and established companies (for less than 5 years) based in Europe or the United Kingdom.
      2. Innovations must be beyond the ideation phase and in the early implementation, or middle and late stages of development, including prototyping or market-ready solutions.
   2. Application Requirements
      1. Each applicant (the “Applicant”) must submit detailed project proposals through the respective submission form, including the problem statement, solution description, impact analysis, scalability plan, and current development stage.
2. Intellectual Property (IP) Rights
   1. IP Ownership
      1. Subject to limited rights expressly granted hereunder, each Applicant reserves all right, title, and interests in its intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to, all copyrights, patents, services marks, trademarks and other intellectual property rights, whether registered or not) which shall remain the sole and exclusive property of the Applicant.
      2. The Contentsquare Foundation reserves all right, title, and interests in its intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to, all copyrights, patents, services marks, trademarks and other intellectual property rights, whether registered or not), which shall remain its sole and exclusive property.
   2. Licensing
      1. By submitting an application, the Applicant grants the Foundation a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, display, and promote their submissions for purposes related to the Prize. Each Applicant will be notified before any promotional use.
   3. Confidentiality
      1. All proprietary information provided in the submissions will be kept confidential and used solely for evaluation purposes.
3. Financial Distribution
   1. Award Amount
      1. The winner will receive a cash prize of 10,000 euros from The Contentsquare Foundation.
   2. Disbursement Process
      1. The prize money will be transferred within forty-five (45) business days of announcing the winner, pending the completion of necessary legal and financial documentation.
      2. Please note that the prize amount will be provided in Euros. Any bank fees or transfer charges will be deducted from the overall prize amount, and the Contentsquare Foundation will not be liable for any reduction in the prize amount due to such fees or to any foreign exchange rate applicable.
   3. Tax Liabilities
      1. Any tax liabilities arising from the receipt of the prize will be the responsibility of the winner.
4. Mentoring and Support
   1. Mentoring Program
      1. The winner will receive mentoring from accessibility experts and industry professionals, equivalent to 20 hours of mentorship over the course of the 2026 year, with a possibility to extend into the upcoming 2027 year. These meeting dates will be agreed upon and set with the winner once selected. The mentorship meetings will take place online, unless otherwise agreed upon.
   2. Visibility and Promotion
      1. The Foundation and its partners will promote the winner and their innovation throughout the year. This includes features on our website, social media campaigns, and potential coverage in media outlets. Please note that the winner should be comfortable with media promotion and public visibility as part of their participation in the prize.
5. Reporting and Accountability
   1. Progress Updates
      1. The winner will be subject to two short progress reports (equivalent to 500 words) or progress calls halfway through the funding period and at the end) to update the Contentsquare Foundation on the development and impact of their innovation. These dates will be agreed upon and set with the winner once selected.
   2. Final Report
      1. A comprehensive report detailing the use of funds and the overall impact of the innovation will be required at the end of the funding period (end of 2026). This information is subject to be included in the Contentsquare Foundation’s annual progress report for accountability and transparency purposes.
6. Publicity
   1. Announcement
      1. The winner will be announced publicly on December 3rd, International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
   2. Visibility and Promotion
      1. The Contentsquare Foundation and its partners will promote the winner and their innovation throughout the year. This includes features on our website, annual Foundation report, social media campaigns, and potential coverage in media outlets. Please note that the winner should be comfortable with media promotion and public visibility as part of their participation in the prize.
   3. Events
      1. The winner may be subject to present their innovation at a dedicated event hosted by the Contentsquare Foundation, providing additional exposure and networking opportunities.

Acceptance
By submitting an application for the Accessibility Innovation Prize, the Applicant agrees to abide by these Terms and Conditions.