Rules of Entry

Version date: 14 July, 2025

GSMA 4YFN Event Management, S.L. (hereinafter “Organizer” or “GSMA” or “we” or “us”), organizes the “4YFN Awards 2026” (hereinafter “4YFN Awards”) in the framework of 4YFN at MWC Barcelona 2026.

4YFN is an event focused on promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in the mobile ecosystem. A wide program of conferences, workshops, pitches and expert meetings are offered, designed to cater to all the needs of the mobile entrepreneurial environment. The 4YFN Awards will gather the best mobile industry leaders, successful entrepreneurs and digital experts along with renowned accelerators, incubators and investors.

1. THE 4YFN AWARDS

The 4YFN Awards is a global startup competition aimed to find the best digital startups around the globe and will take place in the framework of 4YFN at MWC Barcelona 2026 (“4YFN 2026”) to be held from 2 to 5 March 2026.

The Organizer reserves the right to modify these Rules of Entry (“Rules of Entry” or “Rules”), amend any terms applicable to the 4YFN Awards, cancel and/or change the date and time of the 4YFN Awards shows. Any such changes will be communicated to the relevant participants.

2. FORMAT

The 4YFN Awards finale will take place on Wednesday 4 March 2026, in Hall 8 of Fira Gran Via, Barcelona.

Following a preliminary remote evaluation of the Applications, the list of “Top 20 Startups” will be published, divided into 5 categories: 1) Health Tech, 2) Fintech, 3) Climate Tech, 4) Mobile Frontiers, and 5) Digital Horizons. 4 startups will be selected under each category.

The “Top 20 Startups”, will be invited to pitch on stage to a live audience at the 4YFN26 Awards semi-finals, held on-site at 4YFN26 on Monday, 2 March, 2026. A panel of investors will select One (1) Finalist per each of the 5 aforementioned categories.

The Five (5) Finalists, will be invited to pitch on stage at the 4YFN Awards finale in front of a live audience that will include investors, business executives, entrepreneurs, government officials, and the general public.

After the pitches, the winner (hereinafter, “Winner”) will be decided by the jury members and will be announced on the stage at the end of the session. From among the Finalists, only one startup will be the overall Winner.

3. HOW TO JOIN THE 4YFN AWARDS

All materials submitted by the participants to the Organizer in relation to the 4YFN Awards constitute the Application (hereinafter, “Application”).

To join the 4YFN Awards, participants must provide accurate information and present their Applications using the online form indicated on the 4YFN Awards 2026 website (https://www.4yfn.com/4yfn-awards).

Participation in the 4YFN Awards constitutes participant’s full and unconditional agreement to these 4YFN Awards Rules of Entry and the decisions of the Organizer, which are final and binding in all matters related to the 4YFN Awards. Winning a prize is contingent upon participant fulfilling all requirements set forth in these Rules.

The Application system allows for participants to save their Applications and complete their Application at a later time prior to the deadline.

4. SELECTION OF PROJECTS

The selection process comprises of: 1) eligibility screening; 2) selection of top 20 startups and Five (5) Finalists.

4.1 Eligibility Screening:

All Applications will be screened for eligibility by a GSMA committee in line with the following criteria:

All required Application form fields are submitted in well-written English and prior to the announced deadline;
Startups must be based in eligible countries, according to the US, UK, Swiss and EU trade sanctions list. Applications from companies located in Cuba, Iran, North Korea or Syria are not eligible;
Applications are submitted by startups already incorporated and duly registered with no more than seven (7) years of existence upon launching the Application period (early-stage ventures, founded September 2018 and onwards);
Submitted Applications can be ventures from any sector but must be related with digital technologies and do not go against GSMA values, initiatives and principles;
Applications are open to startups with solutions that have already achieved market launch and are commercially available;
Startups who are GSMA contractors between September 2025 and March 2027 are forbidden from participating in the 4YFN Awards;

GSMA reserves the right at its own discretion to reject a submitted Application without further justification

4.2 Top 20 project selection

Following eligibility screening, the following criteria will be used to list the “Top 20 startups”:

Innovation: extent, uniqueness, proprietary rights and centrality of the project.
Soundness & Traction: achievements & recognition, market traction and technology maturity.
Potential: clear roadmap to scalability, potential for international growth and increased financial returns.
Impact: workforce diversity and contribution towards solving one or more UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Fit: with the team, the initial markets, the resources available.

The evaluation will be carried out remotely be 5 panels of external investors: 1 panel per category. Only 4 startups will be selected per category.

4.3 Reserve List

The Organizer may decide at its own discretion to keep a reserve list of up to 10 Participants from the applications, who may, at any point prior to the celebration of the 4YFN Awards Semi-finals, be invited to participate as a Top 20 startup. The Organizer may choose to notify the Participants on the reserve list of their status; however, their position on the list will not be disclosed.

4.4 Rejected Participants

The Organizer will notify non-successful participants by email communication. The Organizer is under no obligation to provide feedback to rejected participants. The rejection decision is final and binding and will not be subject to review or appeal.

4.5 Attendance Top 20 and Finalists

In order to participate as a Top 20 startup and/or Finalist, the companies must expressly agree to be present during 4 days at 4YFN 2026 with an exhibition pod and provide all required documents for the GSMA to process them as event exhibitors. Top 20 companies unable to participate as exhibitors at 4YFN26 will be disqualified.

In order to participate in the Awards Semi-finals, all Top 20 companies must attend a pre-event online preparation session, and a 4-day in-person curated activity agenda during 4YFN 2026, scheduled from March 2 to 6, 2026.

The details of this agenda will be communicated to the Top 20 startups in advance.

A senior English-speaking company representative (founder and/or c-level) must be present at 4YFN 2026 for each of the Top 20 companies. Top 20 companies unable to send an English-speaking representative to the 4YFN Awards will be disqualified.

No remote participation is allowed at the 4YFN Awards Semi-Finals and Ceremony. Only one representative of each company may pitch on stage at the Awards Semi-Finals and Ceremony.

5. CALENDAR

5.1 Application period

The 4YFN Awards registration opens September 1 2025 08:00 CET and closes October 22 2025 17:00 CET (the “Application Period”). Applications sent outside the Application Period will not be accepted or considered.

The Organizer reserves the right to extend, modify or cancel the application process or application Period. Any change will be posted on the 4YFN website and communicated to those participants who have already submitted their full Applications at the said time.

5.2 Selection period

The selection period will take place from October 22 to November 11, 2025.

5.3 Rejection notifications

The Organizer will notify non-successful participants via a message through the e-mail address provided on the Application form during November, 2025.

Top 20 startup announcement and confirmation

The Top 20 startups will be contacted between November 12-18, 2025. The prospective companies must agree to become Top 20 startup within two (2) working days of the notification email.

The top 20 ranking startups will be announced across 4YFN channels during the week of December 1-5, 2025. The 20 top ranking startups will be notified of their status and provided with promotional material and a “digital trophy” to showcase on their websites and across their marketing channels.

5.4 Semi-Finals and Finalist announcement

The 4YFN26 Awards Semi-Finals will take place on Monday, March 2, 2026, during 4YFN26.

The Finalists will be announced at the end of the same day. The Finalists will be provided with promotional material and a “digital trophy” to showcase on their websites and across their marketing channels.

The Finalists must give their expressed commitment to send an English-speaking representative to the Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. If the prospective finalist cannot comply with this requirement, the Organizer shall be entitled to disqualify the prospective finalist. In this case, the Organizer reserves the right to select an alternative finalist.

Acceptance as a Finalist and receiving a prize are contingent upon compliance with these Rules of Entry.

5.5 4YFN Awards Finale

The 4YFN Awards Finale will be held on the afternoon of Wednesday March 4, 2026, during 4YFN 2026.

6. PRIZES

The 4YFN Awards designate prizes and benefits for the Winner, Finalists and Top 20 startups. Prizes are subject to change at the discretion of the Organizer. Any changes to prizes will be updated on the website.

Notwithstanding additional prizes or benefits provided from time to time by the Organizer’s third-party collaborators, the Organizer will provide the following prizes:

The startups included in the Top 20 list will receive the following:

A €1500 cash prize*
A free exhibition pod during 4 days at 4YFN 2026**
4 X 4YFN26 attendee passes
Access to an exclusive lounge during 4YFN 2026
Pitching opportunity at 4YFN26 Awards Semi-Finals (Time and place TBC by the Organizer)
Invites to social and networking activities with investors, members of the press and the startup ecosystem
Inclusion on 4YFN Startup Catalogue shared with over attending investors and VIPs
A digital trophy and additional marketing material to use on company website and across marketing channels
Mention and acknowledgement on the 4YFN website and marketing channels

Each of the 5 startup Finalists will receive the following:

A €2500 cash prize*
4 X 4YFN26 attendee passes
Pitch Opportunity at the main 4YFN Stage during the Awards Ceremony
One highlight article on 4YFN website featuring the 5 finalists
Mention and acknowledgement on the 4YFN website and marketing channels
A digital trophy and additional marketing material to use on company website and across marketing channels
Inclusion on 4YFN Startup Catalogue shared with over 1000 investors
GSMA Foundry: Showcase package

The winning startup will receive the following, in addition to the prizes specified above:

A €20,000 cash prize, courtesy of the GSMA Foundry*
Free exhibition stand for 4 days at 4YFN 2027 **
Content opportunity at the main 4YFN Stage during 4YFN Barcelona 2026
4 complimentary passes for 4YFN 2027
Meet international press for promotion of the winning startup
Interview with Mobile World Live at the 4YFN LinkedIn Preview
A dedicated article as a winner published on 4YFN 2026 website and promoted across 4YFN marketing channels
Mentions on 4YFN Social Media and Newsletter
A digital trophy and additional marketing material to use on company website and across marketing channels

* The cash is non-cumulative with lower category cash prizes and will be payable within 60 days after 4YFN 2026. The payment of the cash prize will depend on the company’s fulfilment of commitments during 4YFN 2026 and on the provision of documents required for the accurate realisation of the payment.

** Exhibition at 4YFN 2026 is subject to the acceptance of and compliance with the 4YFN Standard Terms and Conditions for Exhibition, Advertising and Sponsorship, the Event Manual, the GSMA’s Attendee Terms & Conditions for Events, and all directions and requirements of the Organizer as may be provided from time to time.

All, state, and local taxes associated with receipt of any prize or benefit and all other costs and expenses associated with the acceptance and use of a prize or benefit shall be the sole responsibility of the recipient. All prizes are awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either expressed or implied. Prizes are not transferable to any other person or organization in whole or in part, redeemable for cash or substitutable except by the Organizer, which reserves the right to substitute prizes of comparable or greater value, at its sole discretion. All prize details (including without limitation, method and location of delivery of the prize, brands and other variables) are at Organizer’s sole discretion.

The Organizer reserves the right to award no prize if the submitted Applications do not meet the minimum criteria for quality.

The Organizer may, but is not obliged to, modify or include additional prizes that will be updated on the Website, if any. Organizer’s obligations regarding award of the prize shall conclude when the prize is awarded to the applicable recipient.

The prizes are subject to these Rules of Entry and will not be replaced by cash. The prizes are subject to modification only at the discretion of the Organizer. If a Top 20 listed startup, finalist or winner rejects a prize, no alternative gift will be offered. Each prize is personal and not transferable. The sale or marketing of prizes is prohibited.

If a Top 20 startup or finalist rejects the exhibition pods at 4YFN26, they will be disqualified and not eligible for the cash prize.

Without limiting in any way the consumer rights recognized by any applicable regulations, the Organizer is not liable for the negligent or illegal use of any prize by a winner, finalists or Top 20 listed startup.

Additional prizes and benefits provided from time to time by the Organizer’s third-party collaborators will be subject to additional terms and conditions of the party providing the gift or prize. The Organizer is not liable or responsible for any restrictions or limitations that may prohibit a recipient from being eligible for, or able to accept or use, any prize. Further, in the event a recipient is not eligible for, or able to accept or use a prize, no alternative gifts or prizes will be provided.

7. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

Submitted Applications must be the original work of the participants and must be entered by either an individual of legal age or a team, with no size restriction, provided each member is of legal age. The identity of each individual must be capable of verification through official documents (EU National ID Cards or passports) which will be provided to the Organizer immediately on request.

Without limiting in any way the consumer rights recognized by any applicable regulations, the Organizer is not responsible for the loss or delay of an attempted Application submission due to any interruption, temporary lack of availability or continuity in operation, transmission problem, loss of information, fraud, network error, software malfunction, access, or communication or response error. The Organizer is not responsible for the loss, delay, or change of Event due to technical problems or problems of any other nature not attributable to the Organizer, beyond its control or attributable to network operators, providers of intermediary services, postal or message services, or third parties. The Organizer shall be exempt from any obligation for compensation to the Participants if for reasons of force majeure or legal imperative 4YFN 2026 must be cancelled or suspended.

Each participant, including members of teams, may enter a maximum of one time. Participants must have access to the Internet as the Applications can only be submitted online. Participants must provide a valid e-mail address and phone number. Where a participant submits more than one Application, only the last submitted Application will be considered.

No purchase is necessary to apply to the 4YFN Awards. A purchase of any GSMA product or service will not increase Participants’ chances of being selected.

Participation at the 4YFN awards is strictly prohibited for Organizer’s employees, contractors or agents, and their respective family members.

By entering the 4YFN Awards, Participants represent and warrant that the Participants hold all right, title and interest in the Application, that the information contained is accurate and complete, and that by submitting the Application to the Organizer, the Participant is not and will not be violating any contract or third-party rights including any patents, copyrights, trade secrets, proprietary or confidential information, trademarks, or rights to privacy including personal data. The Organizer shall not be liable for any violation of any rule or third-party rights by Participants, and Participants assume the obligation to hold the Organizer free of liability in such an event. Should the Organizer discover or suspect that there has been plagiarism, third party rights have been violated or Applications entered have not been created by their purported author or authors, the Organizer reserves the right to eliminate the Application, and Participant, from the 4YFN Awards. Similarly, the jury reserves the right to disqualify any Application that, in its sole judgment, violates the letter or the spirit of the Rules of Entry, guidelines, processes and rules of the 4YFN Awards. The jury members’ decisions are final and binding.

The Organizer is exempt from all liability, penalty, claim, demand or civil, commercial, criminal, administrative proceedings, including compensation of any kind and/or nature, expenses, costs (expressly including attorneys’ fees and solicitors).

The Organizer accepts no responsibility for submissions which are lost, misdirected, illegible, late, mutilated, altered, or lost for any reason.

8. CONFIDENTIALITY

Any and all materials submitted, including business plans, must be appropriate for public dissemination. Submissions must not include any confidential information that the participant does not wish to make public. Due to the nature of the 4YFN Awards, the Organizer will not be held responsible for the confidentiality of the Applications.

9. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The Organizer may publish any and all information submitted by the Participants (including but not limited to all Application materials and fields requested in the Application form that do not contain information of personal nature) at any time, in any media and for any reason, including without limitation, publishing Application materials or the publication on any of its websites or any social networking website, or in any advertising or promotional campaign.

Participants hereby grant a non-exclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable, for the maximum period of validity in each territory, transferable, worldwide license to the Organizer to use Participants’ application, logo, and contact information for any purpose, including without limitation for advertising and promotion of Organizer’s activities.

10. IMAGE RIGHTS

The Participant authorizes the Organizer to:

capture Participant’s image, voice and/or statements during the Awards Finales, pitching sessions, as well as during any prior or subsequent act which is directly or indirectly related thereto;
reproduce and/or fix the above, in whole or in part, on audiovisual, video -graphic, photographic or paper, among other forms;
use for promotional purposes the image (including the voice and name) and the application, through any method or medium that the Organizer deems appropriate (including, by way of illustration and not limitation, brochures, newspapers, magazines, books, and Internet), all without geographical or temporary limitation.

11. DATA PROTECTION

All personal information submitted by Participants in connection with 4YFN Awards are processed by the Organizer in accordance with the privacy notice described herein:

GSMA 4YFN Event Management, S.L., with registered address in Barcelona (08004), Av. Reina Mª Cristina s/n, Hall 1, Side Entrance, Fira Montjuic is the controller of Participants’ personal information. You may contact us via email to [email protected] or in writing at the above address.

As part of your participation in the 4YFN Awards the Organizer will process the below Participants’ personal information:

Full name;
Email;
Position;
Company;
City;
Country of residence; and
Image.

We may transmit Participant’s personal information to entities that act on our behalf, such as IT service providers.

Organizer will use personal information submitted by participant to: (i) confirm submissions for 4YFN Awards and evaluate Applications; (ii) communicate with participants’ relevant information about 4YFN Awards; (iii) award prizes, when applicable; and (iv) promote participants status and presence with respect to the 4YFN awards on 4YFN website and 4YFN marketing channels, if participant becomes Top 20, Finalist or Winner of 4YFN Awards.

We will keep your data for the period necessary to select winners and award prizes. If a Participant becomes one of the winners, the Organiser may keep their data for tax and accounting purposes in accordance with applicable laws.

By submitting an Application to participate in 4YFN Awards, a Participant represents and warrants that: (i) has the authority to submit all details required in connection with the competition, (ii) has communicated the rules described herein with participant’s team members and obtained the necessary authorizations to apply for 4YFN Awards; (iii) confirm all details submitted for the purposes of 4YFN Awards are accurate.

By participating in the 4YFN Awards, participant agrees to the: i) use of participant’s personal data in the ways described herein, provided that in the event of any conflict between these 4YFN Awards Rules of Entry and 4YFN Privacy Notice the terms and conditions of these 4YFN Awards Rules of Entry shall prevail; ii) sharing of the information provided in the Application with a restricted group of investors for the purpose of evaluating the applications. The GSMA has valid data processing agreements with all concerned investors.

Participants have the right to request access to their personal information, obtaining a copy of their personal information, the right to rectification and deletion of data, restriction of data processing as well as the right to data portability.

Participants may also object to the processing of your data at any time and lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority.

12. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

By participating, Participants agree to: (i) be bound by these 4YFN Awards Rules of Entry and the decisions of the Organizer, which are final and binding in all matters; and (ii) release, discharge and hold harmless the Organizer, GSMA Ltd LLC. and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and advertising and promotion agencies, and their respective officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents, attorneys and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from any and all claims and liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind resulting from the acceptance, possession or use of a prize (including any injuries resulting from use of a prize) or participation in the 4YFN Awards to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

Limitation of Liability: As a condition of participation, Participant agrees that: (i) under no circumstances will the Participant be permitted to obtain awards for, and Participant hereby waives all rights to claim indirect, punitive, incidental, consequential, or any other damages, other than actual out of pocket expenses, if any; (ii) all causes of action arising out of or connected with a 4YFN Awards, or any compensation or credit to be provided, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; and (iii) except as otherwise limited by law, the Organizer’s total aggregate liability under these Rules of Entry is limited to $1,000 EUR. Organizer is not responsible for any computer or network malfunctions which may occur of any kind, whether human, mechanical, or otherwise, any failed, lost, returned or misdirected communications or submissions, relating to or in connection with the 4YFN Awards, for any incorrect or inaccurate information, howsoever caused.

Choice of Law: The 4YFN Awards shall be governed by the substantive and procedural law of the Kingdom of Spain. By participating in a 4YFN Awards, participants irrevocably agree that the courts located in Barcelona shall have personal jurisdiction over any dispute or litigation arising from or relating to the 4YFN Awards and that venue for a legal dispute shall only be the courts located in Barcelona, Spain.

Rules/Winner’s Lists: For a copy of the 4YFN Awards Rules of Entry, please contact us on [email protected], with subject line “4YFN awards 2026”.

Disqualifying Acts: Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the 4YFN Awards or who are in violation of these 4YFN Awards Rules of Entry, as solely determined by Organizer, will be disqualified and their entries deemed void. Any attempt to damage any web site or undermine the GSMA or the legitimate operation of the 4YFN Awards is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt occur, Organizer reserves the right to seek damages from any such participant to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Trademarks: Organizer will grant the Top 20 startups, the five (5) finalists and the winner a royalty-free, non-exclusive, revocable license to use and reproduce the respective digital trophy (“4YFN Awards Top 20/Finalist/Winner, 2026”) solely for a term extending from: (i) 4YFN Top 20: 1 Nov 2025 through 1 March 2031, (ii) Finalist : 2 March 2026 through 1 March 2031, (iii) Winner 4 March 2026 through 5 March 2031. All resulting goodwill shall vest in Organizer or its licensors. The winner shall comply with any guidelines for the use of the Organizer trademarks issued by Organizer. Winner acknowledges and agrees that title to the Organizer trademarks shall remain vested in Organizer and/or its licensors at all times. Winner shall indemnify Organizer for any loss which Organizer suffers as a result of a claim by a third party arising out of improper use of the trade marks in breach of this license by the Winner. Winner warrants that all Organizer trademarks will be accurately replicated. The use of Organizer trademarks is granted exclusively to the Winner and may not be assigned to a third party without the prior written consent of Organizer. Organizer’s trademarks shall not be used again for any purpose whatsoever without written authorization from Organizer. The Winner will immediately stop using the Organizer trade marks at the request of Organizer and on 5 March 2031.