What characterizes a leading social entrepreneur? How does Ashoka decide which candidates to nominate?

Ashoka Fellows are leading individuals who we recognize to have innovative solutions and the potential to change patterns across society. There are no barriers, such as age, education, class, race, gender or religion that prevent individuals from being considered for the Ashoka Fellowship.

Ashoka's selection process is anchored by our five criteria against which all Fellow candidates are evaluated:

The Knockout Test: A New Idea

Ashoka cannot elect someone to the Fellowship unless he or she is possessed by a new idea—a new solution or approach to a social problem—that will change the pattern in a field, be it human rights, the environment, or any other. We evaluate the idea historically and against its contemporaries in the field, looking for innovation and real change potential.

Among the questions we might ask: Does the person possess a truly new idea for solving a public need? Is it truly a transformational innovation, or just a tweaking of how things are currently done? Will his or her idea forever change the system? How is it different from what others do in the field?

Creativity

Successful social entrepreneurs must be creative both as goal-setting visionaries and as problem solvers capable of engineering their visions into reality. Creativity is not a quality that suddenly appears—it is almost always apparent from youth onward.

Among the questions we might ask: Does this individual have a vision of how he or she can meet some human need better than it has been met before? Does the candidate have a history of creating other new visions? Is the person creative both in vision/goal setting and in problem solving?

Entrepreneurial Quality

Perhaps our most important criterion, entrepreneurial quality is the defining characteristic of first class entrepreneurs. It defines leaders who see opportunities for change and innovation and devote themselves entirely to making that change happen. These leaders often have little interest in anything beyond their mission, and they are willing to spend the next ten to fifteen years making a historical development take place. This total absorption is critical to transforming a new idea into reality, and it is for this reason that Ashoka insists that candidates commit themselves full-time to their ideas during the launch phase.

Among the questions we might ask: Is the person so committed to his/her vision that it is impossible for him/her to rest until the vision becomes the new pattern across society? Is the person willing to spend years relentlessly grappling with myriad, practical "how to" challenges (how to get to national scale, etc.)

Social Impact of the Idea

This criterion focuses on the candidate's idea, not the candidate. Ashoka is only interested in ideas that it believes will change the field significantly and that will trigger nationwide impact or, for smaller countries, broader regional change. For example, Ashoka will not support the launch of a new school or clinic unless it is part of a broader strategy to reform the education or health system at the national level and beyond.

Among the questions we might ask: Is the idea likely to solve an important social problem at the national level or beyond? Is the idea itself sufficiently new, practical, and useful that people working in the field will adopt it once it has been demonstrated?

Ethical Fiber

Social entrepreneurs introducing major structural changes to society have to ask a lot of people to change how they do things. If the entrepreneur is not trusted, the likelihood of success is significantly reduced. Ashoka asks every participant in the selection process to evaluate candidates for these qualities rigorously. To do so often requires one to resort to instinct and gut feelings, not just rational analysis.

The essential question is: "Do you trust this person absolutely?" If there is any doubt, a candidate will not pass.

Ashoka only elects individuals who we believe will become a reference in their fields, who will have a fundamental impact at the national level. We are looking for people who are role models, with a revolutionary approach, a selfless commitment and an entrepreneurial mindset. For example, Ashoka would not support a person who simply wanted to start a new school. We would, however, support an individual launching a better way to teach children and change the educational system - an idea that can spread far beyond the first school where it is demonstrated.