The Swarovski Foundation is inviting submissions through its Creatives For Our Future initiative for early-career innovators driving sustainable progress. Eligible applicants must be between 21 and 30 years old and hail from global fields such as fashion, design, art, architecture, or engineering.
Successful applicants should be working on an original project or product that drives awareness, technology, or solutions for sustainable development. They will secure a grant of €20,000 each, along with a training programme, including one-on-one mentorship and industry networking opportunities.
Since launching in 2021, the programme has supported 27 projects in innovative design, founded and initiated by young creatives who have innovative ideas that address the world’s sustainability and development challenges. The programme has enabled them to develop and scale their projects, either with funds to build on their research or through mentorship and networking opportunities.
Maika Nakaoka, head of creativity at the Swarovski Foundation, says the programme has evolved into a thriving community of innovators and changemakers advancing new approaches to social and environmental challenges through the power of creativity. Mangesh Kurund, an architect in India and a grant recipient, specialises in bio-integrated design and is developing bioreceptive materials for kinetic architectural facades.
Kurund notes that the programme has supported him in advancing his bioreceptive material through successful prototyping and thermal testing, while building key industry relationships and exploring pathways for its integration into existing facade systems. The fifth cycle of the Creatives For Our Future programme is set to begin in the autumn of 2027, with successful applicants being awarded a €20,000 grant and matched with a mentor who has experience in a similar industry.
Entries are open until 9 November 2026 at the programme’s website. Successful applicants will be notified and announced publicly in April 2027 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
