According to the International Labour organisation women may face higher risks of job disruption as roles evolve.

However, the data tells a different story; Women have already begun moving steadily towards STEM fields. Even during global uncertainty, including visa delays, interest in STEM has continued to rise.

According to The National Center for Biotechnology Information, India has consistently maintained strong participation, with women accounting for over 40% of STEM graduates. Meanwhile, the UAE is pushing even further, with women making up more than 50% of STEM graduates in several programs.

For years, engineering and technical fields were seen as male-dominated spaces. In many parts of the world, these careers were not actively encouraged for women. That perception is changing.

The shift is now clearly visible across regions, and it’s been building over time. In countries like Malaysia and Tunisia, STEM education is already close to gender parity.

In the UAE, according to the UAE Embassy, the momentum is even stronger, with women making up 56% of STEM graduates from government universities.

Across the wider Middle East, female participation typically ranges between 40% and 50%.

In traditional education hubs such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, progress is picking up, just at a slower pace. With 30% to 35% of STEM students being women.

Germany, in particular, is beginning to see a big shift. The share of women in STEM has now reached about 36% for the first time.

There is also a clear shift within STEM itself. Artificial intelligence and engineering are drawing in more women than they did a decade ago.

According to the World Economic Forum’s latest report women today make up around 22% of the global AI workforce, up from roughly 15% ten years ago. The gap is still there, though the direction is clearly changing.

Despite this progress, one important question remains. According to UNESCO Data, women currently represent around 35% of STEM students globally, while the participation is rising across several regions, it is not yet evenly distributed.

As AI and technology continue to progress, there is still uncertainty around how evenly this growth will play out.

It remains to be seen whether momentum will spread globally or stay concentrated in regions with stronger access and support systems.

Sonal Kapoor, global chief business officer at Prodigy Finance, says,

“What’s becoming clear is that opportunity on its own isn’t enough. Progress will depend just as much on the support women get around them. We can start by creating clear pathways, removing everyday barriers, and actively encouraging more women to step into STEM.”

Sonal adds,

“At the same time, there are still barriers that hold many women back at the final stage. We have seen that, and it can be something as simple as a visa delay, an application fee, or a lack of financial support. Often, when women aim higher, the support system around them does not always keep pace. At Prodigy Finance, we have always focused on supporting students through these moments, and with initiatives like ProdiShe, launched in collaboration with NovaGrad, we aim to help more women take that first step with confidence.”

Sonal concluded,

“Lastly, as a woman myself, I want to empasise that when we talk about feminism in today’s context, it is about recognising talent on a global scale. It’s about making sure women aren’t held back by perception, and can step forward with confidence across industries. We’ve seen what’s possible through pioneers like Kalpana Chawla or our very own student Prachi Mahapatra from Odisha, whose journey reflects how women today are stepping into global careers and making their mark in fields like technology with the same ambition.

Organised by inDrive, the award offers a total prize pool of $85,000 and global exposure to innovative female entrepreneurs driving social impact.

The 2026 edition will run from August 12 to November 12, 2025, inviting women founders from across the world to showcase tech solutions that combine innovation with measurable change.

Since its inception in 2021, the Aurora Tech Award has become a drive for elevating underrepresented voices in technology. In 2025 alone, it received a record-breaking 2,018 applications from 116 countries, twice the number from the previous year, with African innovators winning the top prize for three consecutive years. 

Nigeria’s Solape Akinpelu claimed the 2025 first prize, while finalists came from diverse fields including health tech, fintech, AI, edtech, and agrotech.

Head of the Aurora Tech Award, Isabella Ghassemi-Smith, spoke on its purpose, “The Aurora Tech Award is more than a prize – it’s a springboard for the next generation of bold women founders from emerging markets. We provide not just funding, but access to top investors, global networks, and the tools to help scale ventures that will shape the future of entire industries.”

Benefits

Female tech founders stand a chance to receive the following prices:

• Grand Prize: $50,000 for the winner.
• First Runner-Up: $20,000.
• Second Runner-Up: $15,000.
• Access to inDrive’s global expertise, curated mentorship programmes, and strategic networking opportunities.
• Direct exposure to investors and industry partners.
• Increased visibility and credibility on the global stage.
• Support in scaling, fundraising, and market expansion.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. The startup must be owned or co-owned by a woman.
2. Must be less than 5 years old.
3. Have a working prototype and be at the pre-seed stage.
4. Total funding raised must not exceed $6 million.

How to Apply

Eligible candidates can apply online via the website before the deadline on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.

Competition Timeline

• 8 December 2025: Announcement of the Top 100 quarter-finalists.
• Following weeks: Selection of the Top 30 semi-finalists.
• Early 2026: Announcement of the Top 3 finalists.
• February–March 2026: Tailored mentorship programme for finalists.
• March–April 2026: Aurora Tech Award ceremony.

Entries will be assessed by a panel of investors and industry experts, focusing on innovation, scalability, and social impact.

2025 winner Solape Akinpelu said, “Winning the Aurora Tech Award proved that African women founders can thrive on the global stage. The funding, mentorship, and exposure transformed my organisation’s growth. I urge South African women innovators to apply, your ideas deserve to be seen and celebrated.”

From Chile, finalist Loretxu Garcia noted that, “What inspired me was knowing there’s an award that recognises not just technology, but the courage to innovate from our own lived realities. Applying to Aurora was my way of saying: women are also shaping the future through science.”

Third-place winner Shreya Prakash of FlexiBees, India, added, “Very few women-centric programmes provide actual funding. As a woman founder, it was heartening to see that the Aurora Tech Award backed its belief in women entrepreneurs with the catalyst of capital.”

The award is a non-profit initiative of inDrive, a global mobility and urban services platform operating in 982 cities across 48 countries. Known for its peer-to-peer ride-hailing price negotiation model, inDrive is the world’s second-most downloaded ride-hailing app.

Through the Aurora Tech Award, inDrive aims to address the fact that less than 2% of global VC funding goes to women-led startups, shifting resources and recognition to founders building their own platforms rather than waiting for a seat at the table.

For more information, visit the website.