Nama Launches Third Social Entrepreneurship Award With QR360,000 in Prizes

Doha, Qatar — September 2, 2026

The Social Development Center (Nama), affiliated with the Qatar Foundation for Social Work, has opened applications for the third edition of its Social Entrepreneurship Award. This year's edition carries a combined QR360,000 in prize money across three tracks and adds a new training program to help shortlisted applicants develop their ideas before final judging.

What the award covers

The award is split into three categories. The Best Social Entrepreneurship Idea track carries a QR100,000 prize for early-stage concepts, while the Best Existing Social Enterprise Project track offers QR200,000 to a running venture with demonstrated social impact. A third track, the Social Entrepreneurship Competition for secondary schools, distributes QR60,000 between boys' and girls' categories.

Applications are accepted through Nama's official website, with updates shared on the center's social media channels.

Why Nama is doubling down

Nama Executive Director Ghanem Salah Al Ali described the award as "one of the center's key tools for empowering individuals and entrepreneurs to develop practical solutions based on community needs." He said the third edition's addition of an intensive training program for shortlisted participants is meant to help them "refine and systematically develop their ideas" ahead of judging — a shift from a pure prize competition toward more hands-on support.

Building on two prior editions

The award has already produced tangible projects. Its first two editions recognized the Families of People with Autism Platform as Best Existing Project and the Central Canteen Project as Best Project Idea in 2024, while the second edition drew participation from 31 schools in the youth track.

A wider signal for Qatar's ecosystem

Social enterprise remains a narrower lane than Qatar's broader startup and SME funding landscape, which is dominated by institutions such as Qatar Development Bank and Qatar Science & Technology Park. Nama's award — now in its third year and expanding its support model beyond cash prizes — signals that impact-driven ventures are carving out a more defined, better-resourced track of their own within Qatar's entrepreneurship ecosystem, one explicitly tied to the social development goals of Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy.

Source: Gulf Times / QNA

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