Economic Empowerment
Her Business Storytelling Competition
Local Women. Global Stories.
Global · Ongoing
A global storytelling initiative centred on women-owned local businesses. Through short videos and journalistic stories, young people explore the journeys, challenges, and community impact behind these businesses.
Her Business is Kandi's global storytelling competition where students aged 14-25 - working solo or in teams of up to three - partner with a locally owned, woman-founded business and tell its story, either as a 3-5 minute short video or a 500-1,200 word journalistic piece. The brief pushes past the surface: what inspired the owner to start, what unique barriers she's faced as a woman running a business, and how her work has shaped the community around her. The goal is to surface stories that rarely make it into major media - the kind that reveal what women's economic opportunity actually looks like on the ground. And it doesn't stop at storytelling. Winners receive publication, certificates, and a cash prize - but standout businesses are also matched with a follow-up support programme covering social media, branding, digital marketing strategy, and digitalization support. Because the best stories deserve more than an audience. They deserve real, ongoing change.
Overview
Students from around the world compete in a storytelling competition. Each team (1-3 people) makes a short video or journalistic post working with a woman and her local business. The top 3 works in each category are awarded certificates and cash prizes, plus publication - with a chance for other notable submissions to be featured on Kandi's Instagram and website too.
What Students Will Explore
The history of the business - does it have cultural significance? What inspired the owner to start it?
What unique barriers and struggles has she faced as a woman owning a local business?
What is the business, exactly?
How has it impacted the community around it?
The Guiding Question
What can we learn about women's opportunities, values, and environments in your country? And how do these businesses reflect the opportunities and values within that community?
We often don't hear local business stories like these in major media outlets - this is a chance to learn from them and raise awareness.
Deliverables
One 3-5 minute short video
or one 500-1,200 word journalistic post
Prizes
Publication
Certificates of participation
Cash prize
Judging Criteria
Relevance (25%): How well the submission addresses women's opportunities, values, and environments.
Research depth & accuracy (25%): How thoroughly and accurately the story is researched.
Storytelling (20%): How well the submission conveys the challenges overcome by the business.
Creativity (15%): Whether the post is unique in design, storytelling method, or approach.
Technical quality (10%): Whether photos or video are clear and tastefully edited.
Ethical representation (5%): How the team collaborated with the owner for an ethical, accurate portrayal.
Operational Timeline
Registration Deadline: 31 September
Submission Deadline: 29 October
Judging Period: From 30 October
Announcement Date: 5 November
What We Provide
A competition toolkit (sent shortly after registration)
Interview guides
A Her Business consent form
Certificates of participation
Publication opportunities
Optional feedback from judges
Collaboration Model
Phase 1 — Interview & Document: Students interview and document the story of a local, woman-owned business through a short video or journalistic article.
Phase 2 — Selection: Businesses showing the most community impact, resilience, and growth potential are chosen for an entrepreneurial skill-refinement programme.
Phase 3 — Business Support: Selected businesses receive social media & branding help, a tailored digital marketing strategy, customer feedback surveys, digitalization support, platform features, and volunteer support.
Eligibility
Students aged 14-25
Individuals or teams of up to 3 members
Open internationally
Work must be original
Submissions in English (or with English subtitles)
One entry per category, per team
Business Requirements
Locally owned
Founded or majority-owned by a woman
Operating legally within its country or community
Willing to participate in an interview
Consents to photos, video, and written articles being published
Submission Guidelines — Short Video
3-5 minutes long
English or English subtitles
Original footage
Submission Guidelines — Journalistic Post
500-1,200 words
Original writing
At least 3 photographs
No AI use
References cited in MLA 9 style
Written in English
Every Submission Must Include
Your name
Country and city
Business name and location
Name of the business owner
Submission category
How to Submit
Submit the Google Form registration by 31 September
Submit your finished work by 29 October
Sign the consent form and email it in alongside your submission