Criteria

Age

Applicants must be between 18 – 35 years of age at the time of submission.

Residency

Applicants must be South African citizens.

Innovation, Creativity and Ideas

The submitted innovation/idea must be original and owned by the individual or project team members and not infringe on any third-party intellectual property rights.

Entry

All entries must be submitted using the official online entry form, available via the competition portal. Previous winners and runners-up are not eligible to enter the 2026 CIPC IP Youth Awards. This is to ensure that more young innovators have the opportunity to be recognised and awarded.