Competition Launch: Win Up to 40,000 NOK for Your Arctic Start-up
Finalists Pack Away AB, Marine Spark X AS and Cruise2feed during the High North Young Entrepreneur 2025 award ceremony. (Photo: Markus Thonhaugen/Northern Region Center)
Last year, a company from northern Norway won the prestigious award. Now the search begins for this year's finalists for the High North Young Entrepreneur award.
A international pitch competition by the High North Center for Business and Governance offers young entrepreneurs in the chance to present their Arctic-related business ideas to an international audience, with prizes totalling 70,000 NOK.
In a press release, The High North Center for Business and Governance at Nord University announces that they are now accepting applications for the 2026 award.
The award ceremony will take place during the High North Dialogue conference in Bodø on April 22-23, 2026. Three finalists will be invited to pitch their business ideas to conference participants, who will vote for the winner in real-time.
"This is a unique opportunity to present to an international audience of business leaders, politicians, and industry experts", says Andrey Kazakov, coordinator of the High North Young Entrepreneur award at the High North Center.
"We need young people with innovative ideas who can contribute to sustainable development."
The competition offers substantial prizes for the top three finalists:
- First place: 40,000 NOK
- Second place: 20,000 NOK
- Third place: 10,000 NOK
Read more about the prize and the statutes here.
Deadline for applications is March 15, 2026.
About the High North Young Entrepreneur Award
The High North Young Entrepreneur contest was launched in 2018 by Nord University Business School in cooperation with Bodø Science Park, inspired by investor Scott Minerd of Guggenheim Partners, who donated his High North Hero Award to support young entrepreneurs.
The contest has since become an established part of the annual High North Dialogue conference programme. Innovation Norway Nordland has been a close partner, including funding the prizes for several years.
High North News is an independent newspaper published by the High North Center at the Nord university. High North News follows the Norwegian Press Code of Ethics and is edited according to the Association of Norwegian Editors – Rights and Duties of the Editor.
