The Westly Prize is Now Accepting Applications from California’s Young Innovators

Sep 3

The Westly Foundation announced that applications are now open for the Westly Prize, a prestigious award recognizing young social innovators in California. The prize provides significant financial support to individuals and teams with novel solutions to some of the community’s most pressing challenges.

The Westly Prize is dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders by providing critical early-stage funding. This year, the foundation will award up to $145,000 in prizes, including three top awards of $40,000 in unrestricted funding. This financial support helps young innovators bring their ideas to life and scale their impact. Past recipients of the Westly Prize include graduates from programs like Santa Cruz Works Accelerates, such as the startup Wonderfil who won the prize in 2023 and is building autonomous refill stations for liquid and cream products.

Young people should apply for the Westly Prize for a number of reasons:

Significant Funding: The unrestricted cash prizes offer a major boost to early-stage projects, allowing innovators to focus on their work without the constraints of traditional funding.
Networking and Mentorship: Finalists have the opportunity to present their work to a panel of esteemed judges, gaining valuable feedback and building connections within the social impact community.
Visibility and Recognition: Winning the Westly Prize provides a platform for innovators to showcase their work to a wider audience through traditional and social media, helping to attract further support and collaboration.
Tackle Real-World Problems: The prize encourages solutions across a wide range of categories, including technology, education, health, and the environment, empowering young people to make a tangible difference in their communities.

Innovations in any of the following categories are eligible for consideration:

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Arts
Civic Engagement
Education
Energy
Environment
Food Production/Distribution
Health
Safety
Technology/Tech for Good
Transportation
Youth Development

The application period for the Westly Prize runs from Tuesday, September 2 – Friday, October 17, 2025 at 11:59 PM PST. Applicants are required to submit an online application and a short YouTube video describing their innovation. Finalists will be selected to present their ideas to a judging panel.

For more information and to apply, please visit the Westly Prize website at https://westly.org/westly-prize/.

About The Westly Foundation

The Westly Foundation is a private family foundation dedicated to fostering social innovation and empowering the next generation of leaders. Through initiatives like the Westly Prize, the foundation supports bold ideas that have the potential to create lasting, positive change in California and beyond.