Frequently asked questions

The Global Change Award (GCA) was initiated by the H&M Foundation in 2015. It accelerates innovation to support the textile industry in halving its greenhouse gas emissions every decade, reaching net-zero by 2050. By supporting changemakers on their unique journeys, GCA helps turn early ideas into impactful innovations that benefit both people and the planet.

This is outlined in the Terms & conditions.

The Global Change Award is for early-stage changemakers working on ideas that can help decarbonise the textile and fashion industry. You may be an individual, a small team or an organisation. Your idea can be technical, social, policy-driven or system-oriented. What matters most is that your idea is still early-stage and has the potential to contribute to industry-wide change.

Climate change is one of the most urgent challenges facing the textile and fashion industry. By focusing on decarbonisation, GCA aims to concentrate resources where they can have the greatest impact, while promoting a just and fair transition for both people and the planet.

By early-stage, we mean ideas that are still very young. Many have not yet received funding, may still be in research, lab or concept phase, and may not yet be validated or commercialised. You do not need revenue, customers or a finished solution to be considered.

No. You can be an individual, part of an informal team or an organisation. We focus on the idea and the changemaker behind it, not on legal structure or company maturity.

GCA uses a nomination-based process. However, if you are not nominated by one of our nominators, you can submit your idea to one of our official nominators, The Mills Fabrica, for consideration. The nomination window for Global Change Award 2026 is now closed. To receive updates about future nomination rounds and Global Change Award news, we recommend subscribing to our newsletter.

The Global Change Award is a global challenge, open to changemakers from anywhere in the world. There are no geographic restrictions on who can be nominated. We actively seek ideas from diverse contexts and regions, recognising that solutions to decarbonising the textile industry can emerge from anywhere. Practical considerations such as visas, travel or grant transfers may vary by location and are handled on a case-by-case basis for selected winners.

No, participation in the Global Change Award is free of charge.

No, only one entry per person is allowed. Learn more in the Terms & Conditions.

Yes, as long as you own all rights connected to the idea.

All winners are presented here.

GCA supports early-stage ideas that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the textile value chain. These fall within four key areas – sustainable materials and processes, responsible production, mindful consumption and wildcards.

Systems change means understanding how your idea fits into the wider textile and fashion system, including production, consumption, policy, culture and power structures. Your idea does not need to address the entire system on its own, but you should be open to exploring broader impacts and connections as your idea develops.

Yes. Many GCA supported ideas are highly focused technical or scientific solutions. What matters is their potential contribution to decarbonisation and their openness to being developed with a wider systems perspective.

Winners are selected based on a combination of factors. These include where they are in the innovation journey: whether they fall under one of our four key areas, their capacity to embrace systems change thinking, and their commitment, capacity and initiative to solve problems. The goal of the award is to advance promising ideas to concept validation.

Our nominators include organisations such as universities, research institutes, governmental organisations, charities, non-profits, international development agencies, accelerators and incubators, industry associations, brands, suppliers and previous GCA winners. All nominators are doing this pro bono and are not getting paid. You can find the current ones here.

The nomination window varies each year. Current timelines are shared on the GCA website. To receive updates GCA news, we recommend subscribing to our newsletter.

If nominated, you will be invited to apply and share more details about your idea. Candidates are reviewed by expert groups before final winners are selected by the H&M Foundation board. Due to volume, individual feedback cannot always be provided.

Candidates are screened by a reference group of experts, reviewed by an Expert Panel and finally selected by the H&M Foundation board.

No. Being shortlisted does not create obligations beyond the application process. Visibility and engagement opportunities are primarily focused on the final winners.

The GCA Expert Panel has extensive knowledge within fashion, business, investments, entrepreneurship, and innovation. They are part of selecting our winners and play an active role in the GCA Changemaker Programme.

The GCA Expert Panel has extensive knowledge within fashion, business, investments, entrepreneurship, and innovation. They are part of selecting our winners and play an active role in the GCA Changemaker Programme.

See our current and previous expert panels here.

No, they all participate pro bono. 

The winners each receive €200,000 and enter a yearlong Changemaker Programme, curated with our GCA partners, designed to elevate their ideas with a strong focus on personal development and systems thinking. 

Our aim is to equip them with an understanding of their own ability to drive change, the textile industry at large, and a holistic systems thinking mindset to promote solutions that will benefit both people and the planet. Learn more here.

We are crowning 10 winners in June 2026 and annually going forward.

Winners will be announced in June 2026 and be celebrated at our Award Ceremony in October 2026.

The grant, financed by the H&M Foundation, should be invested in the development of the winners’ ideas or work related to that.

It is up to the winners themselves to decide how the grant is best used. They are the experts, and they know their innovation best. They are also quite different and have unique needs. For example, some may use the grant to create materials in a lab, while some invest in a 3D scanner or invest in marketing. In some cases, the money is used to hire staff. This sets the Global Change Award apart from many other innovation challenges where it is often necessary to report on specific KPIs. This is also highly appreciated by the winners because the freedom of being able to invest in a way best suited to their needs means a lot for their development.

The grant is paid out in two tranches. The first when they are announced as winners, and the second after completion of the Changemaker Programme.

We follow up in multiple ways. We engage in a relationship with the winners through the GCA Changemaker Programme and have close contact with them and follow their progress. We also ask the winners to report on the use of the grant; initially when announced as winners and further down the line on completion of the Changemaker Programme.

GCA is not a traditional accelerator and does not guarantee pilots, procurement contracts, investment or commercial adoption. It provides a grant, structured support and a learning environment designed for early-stage development.

It is a year-long support programme curated with GCA partners, combining core and tailored modules across personal growth, idea development and systems understanding. Read more about the Changemaker Programme.

The programme includes three in-person weeks across the year, combined with digital sessions and tailored support. Active engagement is expected, and the programme is designed to be compatible with running a start-up, research project or organisation.

The programme includes in-person elements, but we work with winners individually to find workable solutions if travel is challenging. Not being able to travel should not prevent nomination.

We understand that circumstances change. While commitment is expected, flexibility is built in and challenges are addressed through dialogue wherever possible.

No. Neither the Foundation, its partners nor H&M Group take any equity or intellectual property rights in the awarded innovations. The idea is to find the changemakers and innovations that have the potential to drive meaningful change for the entire industry. The winners are free to collaborate with whomever they want.

The Terms & conditions and Privacy notice explains this in detail but to keep it simple: do not send us critical unprotected details. Instead, focus on the bigger picture in your application. All entrants understand that the H&M Foundation may use any information submitted for the sole purpose of promoting the competition and the participants. And remember, we want you to succeed, and we want you to own the IP.

GCA does not guarantee funding beyond the grant or specific partnerships. However, winners may gain access to relevant connections and opportunities through the GCA network.

No. Winners remain fully independent and free to fundraise or partner as they choose.

Not all ideas will succeed or scale. GCA is about learning, development and progress, not guaranteed outcomes. Exploration and insight are valued alongside success.