A leadership programme, not a funded degree
This is a leadership-development programme, not a funded degree or a cash grant, and it is worth being precise about that distinction so readers don’t apply expecting tuition support; see the guide to funding routes that are not scholarships for other programmes that work the same way. What you actually get is nine months of non-residential, virtual training covering leadership styles, career pathing, personal branding, team management, negotiation, and how to navigate gender dynamics specifically within agricultural science careers, paired with a mentor, delivered in sessions that typically run twice a week for 2.5 hours plus a monthly one-on-one mentoring meeting.
The eligibility bar the announcement page doesn’t fully state
Eligibility is narrower than the programme’s own public announcement lets on. Beyond being a woman aged 35 or younger and a citizen of one of eleven named sub-Saharan African countries, the Application Guidelines add two requirements missing from the announcement page itself: at least a bachelor’s degree in an agricultural science discipline, and at least five years of agricultural-sector experience. You also need to currently reside in Africa for the programme’s full duration, though not necessarily in one of the eleven eligible-nationality countries, and you cannot be a current or former Fellow or Laureate of any other AWARD programme, though a junior mentee of a past AWARD fellow may still apply. Up to 40 places are awarded each cycle on a competitive basis.
Who actually hosts this programme
The programme is funded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. Its own materials describe its hosting organisation inconsistently: the announcement page names the World Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi, while the Application Guidelines and FAQ PDFs both name Landscape Alliance at the same Nairobi address. Both are AWARD’s own current documents, so this reads as an unresolved internal inconsistency, likely tied to a recent institutional restructuring, rather than a case where one source is simply wrong; either way, it does not change the eligibility, benefits or deadline.
What’s expected of you once selected
Once selected, admission is conditional, not automatic. AWARD requires formal written endorsement from your employer or supervisor confirming support for your participation, proof of citizenship and academic certificates to validate your application, formal acceptance of AWARD’s Code of Conduct, and disclosure of participation in any other capacity-building programmes. A certificate of completion is only issued to participants who attain at least 80% attendance across all training sessions, and participants must also take part in AWARD’s own Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning activities for the cohort.
Mentors are drawn from AWARD’s own database of past programme mentors, built up over more than 15 years of running leadership and capacity-building work for women in science, and matched to each mentee’s specific area of expertise and career goals; mentors volunteer their time rather than being paid. Participants are also expected to carry out at least one role-modelling activity of their own during the nine months, intended to inspire other women considering a science career, on top of attending sessions and contributing to group discussions.
Applications close at midnight East Africa Time on 20 September 2026, and AWARD’s own announcement is explicit that late applications will not be accepted after that point.