StartupsNov 6, 2026, 5:38 AM UTC·1 min read

Garanti BBVA Women Entrepreneur Contest Opens 20th Round, 3M TL

Garanti BBVA, KAGİDER and Ekonomist are accepting entries until 30 November for the 20th Turkey's Woman Entrepreneur Competition, with 3 million TL in prizes.

Women entrepreneurs on stage at an awards ceremony celebrating the Turkey's Woman Entrepreneur Competition. — Image: Webrazzi

Applications are open for the 20th edition of Turkey's Woman Entrepreneur Competition, organised by Garanti BBVA together with the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey (KAGİDER) and Ekonomist magazine. Entries can be submitted until 30 November 2026 at www.garantibbvakadingirisimci.com.

The programme will back women-founded businesses with prizes worth a total of 3 million TL. The winner of the main category, Turkey's Woman Entrepreneur, receives 1 million TL.

Four further categories

Each of the following categories carries a prize of 500,000 TL:

Turkey's Promising Woman Entrepreneur in Technology
Turkey's Woman Entrepreneur Making a Sustainable Difference in Her Region
Turkey's Woman Social Impact Entrepreneur
Turkey's Women's Cooperative

Beyond the cash awards, winners get one year of KAGİDER membership, subscriptions to Ekonomist, Capital and Elele magazines, communication support from Garanti BBVA and access to networking opportunities within the entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Why it matters

The organisers say the competition has spent twenty years aiming to strengthen women's presence in economic life, contribute to the entrepreneurship ecosystem and bring success stories to wider audiences. By making founders visible, it also aims to inspire new entrepreneurs.

For women running early-stage companies, cooperatives or social enterprises in Turkey, the mix of funding, media exposure and association membership is the main draw. The dedicated technology, sustainability, social impact and cooperative categories mean ventures outside the classic startup mould can also apply.

The 30 November deadline leaves about three and a half weeks from now for applicants to submit their entries through the competition website.

Apps worth a look

SUMO: the number puzzle

Tap the right tiles, add them up, hit the target. Easy to learn, hard to master. Free, for all ages.

Dialo: learn languages by speaking

Talk to an AI conversation partner; every sentence comes back corrected and explained in your language. 9 languages, A1 to C2.

ediviewer: read EDI files like documents

Open EDIFACT and X12 messages, see every segment explained, convert to JSON/XML, export PDF and Excel. Runs locally, no upload.

giftdetect: the right gift in minutes

Pick who it is for, the occasion and their personality. The search engine reads product descriptions from local shops and ranks what fits. Free, no sign-up.

Tags:garanti bbvakagiderwomen entrepreneursturkeystartup competitionekonomist