Presented by ACU Co-Lab

The Social Enterprise Series is an intensive eight-week program that equips aspiring changemakers with real-world skills to launch or scale a thriving social enterprise. Whether you're exploring an idea in your dorm room or bootstrapping your first venture, you'll learn how to create lasting social change while building a financially viable enterprise.

Industry experts from StartSomeGood will guide you through the essential building blocks: validating your idea, measuring social impact, developing sustainable revenue streams and communicating your value to stakeholders. Learn from real-world case studies and apply frameworks used by successful social enterprises globally.

Create a video pitch for the Social Enterprise Award for your chance to win $5,000 to kickstart or scale your project. Award winners also gain access to the StartSomeGood Crowdfund subsidised ACU package.

Join a community of changemakers who believe business can be a force for good. Walk away with practical skills, a polished pitch, and the confidence to make your social enterprise a reality.

Cost

The Social Enterprise Series is fully subsidised for ACU students, staff and alumni. Community participants can attend the first workshop for free to get a taste of what's possible. Continue your journey with early bird pricing at $75 per workshop, standard pricing at $100 per workshop, or save with our complete bundle at $320 for all eight sessions. Topics are delivered online, creating an interactive learning experience that connects changemakers across the country.

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Workshops and dates

Attend the full program to be in the best position to develop a winning pitch for the ACU Business Award or choose specific workshops directly relevant to your project.

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Social Enterprise Award 2026 

Attend three or more workshops and you will be eligible to enter the ACU  Social Enterprise Award 2026.

The winning video pitch entry receives:

• $5,000 prize
• Promotion of the winning business/project through ACU Co-Lab's community ecosystem

Key dates

Opening date: 9am AEDT on Friday 27 March 2026
Closing date: 11.59pm AEDT on Sunday 24 May 2026

How to enter

This Competition is only open to any person who, during the Competition Period:

• is over 18 years of age; and
• resides in Australia; and
• has attended at least 3 of the Social Enterprise Incubator Series Workshops via zoom, as a participant; and
• submits an Eligible Entry.

Submitting your application

To enter the competition, eligible entrants must during the competition period:

1. Submit an entry via the online application form; and
2. Submit a video pitch at the same time as lodging an entry, where the video length must be no more than three minutes.

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Judging criteria

The eligible entry will be judged by a panel of judges appointed at the sole discretion of ACU and the selection of the winning entry will be based on the highest scoring eligible entry based on the following judging criteria, as determined by the judges:

An entry must be based on a social enterprise, as determined by the following definition - Social enterprises are organisations that have a social purpose or mission embedded into the DNA of the business to directly address social, cultural and environmental needs; and who earn the majority of their revenue through trade.

Presentation skills – 20 points

1. Storytelling and passion of delivery.
2. Professional manner.

Pitch content – 70 points

3. Clarity by which you have outlined the problem and your solution.
4. The innovative nature of your solution.
5. The addressable market size.
6. Your strategy for taking the idea to market.
7. Identification of competition.
8. How robust your proposed business and revenue models are.
9. Demonstrable skills required to build and execute a solution, and noticeable passion for delivering the outcome.

Audio/video quality – 10 points

10. Quality of the audio and video presentation

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