Selection Criteria
What characterizes a leading social entrepreneur?
How does Ashoka decide which candidates to recommend and which to turn away?
Ashoka's selection process is anchored by our five criteria against which all Fellow candidates are evaluated:
New Idea
⚙️? Creativity
?Entrepreneurial Quality
?Social Impact of the Idea
?️Ethical Fiber
Ashoka has additional areas we consider when evaluating nominations. These will not result in automatic rejections, but more information may be required during the initial selection process. If you are unsure, you may still submit the nomination to be reviewed by a local representative.
Full Time
Legal Structure
Arts, Theatre, & Sports
Religious Affiliation
Local Connection
Political Parties
Stage of Impact
The Selection Process for the Ashoka Fellowship
Ashoka searches the world for leading social entrepreneurs through an intensive, human-centered process, selecting them into our Ashoka global, trust-based fellowship of peers.
The process of selection is a transformative and enlightening experience.
Candidates articulate their innovations, and how they have the potential to change sector-wide systems. They scrutinize their strategies and methods, and reflect on how they engage as individuals and leaders in today’s world. The selection process is not simply a means to an end, but rather generates robust discussion, sharpens ideas, and gives room for a journey of self discovery and growth.
The selection process phases are:
The Ashoka Fellowship
For more than 40 years, Ashoka has built and nurtured the largest network of leading social entrepreneurs in the world. After a rigorous selection process, they are introduced to a life-long fellowship, where every member is committed to championing new patterns of social good. We encourage Ashoka Fellows to take ownership of the network and we partner with them to co-create Ashoka’s vision of an Everyone a Changemaker world