How do I enter the competition?
Go to Apply Now to secure an ID and a password. Then fill out the online application form. You can save you answers and review them as many times as you wish before submitting it for grading.

Can I participate with more than one plan?
We strongly recommend that you participate with only one plan. You should keep in mind that winning plans are well developed and thoroughly prepared to take to market. However, we do allow multiple plans to be submitted as long as each plan is registered as a separate participating team.

Is my idea legally protected during MENA100?
All information provided through the application forms and the business plans are treated as confidential and are not shared with third parties. Only the MENA 100 team and the jurors have access to that information, which is treated with the strictest confidentiality. Your mentors also have access to your business information through the mentoring process. Please note that only aggregate data is published and that all other non confidential data or information made publicly available is not shared without the permission of your team. We do not publish financial details or any other confidential information.

What are the judging criteria?
In general, competitors in the new business category are judged on the quality of their business ideas and potential for growth. Existing businesses are judged on the strength of their business models and evidence of high-growth strategies.

Is there an age limit for participation?
The competition does not have age restriction. We welcome entries from all candidates across the MENA region.

I am a fulltime employee elsewhere, can I still participate in the competition?
Yes. Provided this job does not affect your efforts on concretizing your business plan in case you are one of the three winners.

My business partners are not MENA region permanent residents. Can we still participate?
Yes, as long as your team is composed of at least two people and half of the members of the team are nationals from one of the 19 MENA economies participating in MENA 100. For more details, see the section “Rules and eligibility criteria"

What are the key elements for a successful application or business plan?
There are no formulas or key criteria for a successful application form or business plan. However, some tips are:

►	Judges will have a limited amount of time to review your applications or business plans, so please be as clear and concise as possible in your responses.
►	Please underline the innovativeness behind your idea or project (see the section Rules and eligibility criteria for concepts of innovation that can help you to better describe this).
►	Be clear and show that you know your market, competitors and target customers and clearly explain what are your strategies and advantages for competing and for satisfying and exceeding your clients’ needs.
►	Be realistic in your financial estimations and projections. Although you do not have to give extensive details in the application process during phase 1, you should be able to identify your financing needs and how your team expects to obtained the financing sought. In the elaboration of business plans during phase 2 your financial analysis will need a greater level of detail.
►	Explain what are the strengths of your management team and how you plan to address your human resources needs to complement those strengths.
►	Please respond to as many questions and sections as you can. Although empty spaces will be understandable depending on the specificities of your project, the more information you give the better picture the jurors will have on your idea and its feasibility. Please note that there are some sections for which the information is mandatory.

What should be included in the financial section?
In the application form, financial details should not be extensive. However, you should be able to identify and broadly justify your financial needs and how your team plans to address those needs. The business plan template will clearly indicate which financial information will be required.

What should be included in the content of the application/business plan?
The application form for phase 1 and the business plan template for phase 2 clearly indicate what information is needed. The application form requests information regarding:

• General information about the management team (not graded);
• The profile of your project or company;
• A description of the products or services that your company will provide;
• An outline of your market and marketing strategy;
• A description of the innovative character of your project;
• An outline of the human and financial resources.
• Present a positive reason for investors to take interest.

Is it possible to submit the application in a language other than English?
Yes: in French. Hence we require that applications and any subsequent materials be submitted in English or French. Our selection process involves multiple reviewers, and we are not able to support this process in languages other than English and French.