emlyon rewards its students' social commitment
Each year, emlyon business school promotes the commitment of its students through the implementation of projects with a strong social and environmental impact, on the occasion of the Social Entrepreneurship Prize.
A prize to highlight student action in the service of the common good
Supported by emlyon business school, the Social Entrepreneurship Prize (PES) rewards each year student initiatives committed to a fairer, more sustainable and more united society. Placed under the sign of resonance, it is fully in line with the School's strategic plan, by promoting the leaders of projects with a social and/or environmental impact aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 2025 edition brought together 16 projects presented by more than 60 students.
Here is the 2025 winners :
Special Jury Prize
ODAËL, the Second Chance Hotel with Audrey Teixeira, Daphné Teixeira and Paul Goïc: housing homeless people and reintegrating them professionally in a participatory hotel open to customers
Commitment to an Inclusive Society Award
PreSkins with Hugo Cocquet: prototyping a therapeutic surface to reduce the suffering of people suffering from pressure ulcers in cooperation with caregivers
Award for commitment to a sustainable society
La Dernière Goutte with Clarisse Casaubon, Rani Dano, Maïlys Bellassee, Léane Grandgirard, Solenn Frignani and Gabin Troussicot for Lyon La Duchère: proposing a scenario for a sustainable future of water governance by involving local actors
Student Life Impact Initiative Award
The AMAP baskets of the NOISE association with Manon Nauche, Alexandre Durif, Livia Palmade, Inès Mainguené, Sandrine Raniriharinosy: offering students baskets of organic, local fruit and vegetables, while supporting producers by paying them fairly and raising awareness of sustainable food
Resonance with society and its stakeholders prize (in memory of Florence de Mourgues)
Impulso with Mathilde Flye Sainte Marie and Leila Bouhaddou, Emma Ryser, Gwladys Voisin, Corentin Blachere and Leyna Messaoudi: supporting the financial autonomy of women in South America by supporting them in their micro-enterprises and entrepreneurial projects
Audience Award
Les Invisibles, with Marius Even, Jérémy Illouz and Jean-Luc Nevoso, treasurer of Urgence Sociale Rue: a "vlocumentary" a new format between documentary and vlog to make visible a nocturnal patrol by going to meet the homeless in Lyon
An eclectic jury made up of people from the academic, associative and economic worlds, the alumni network and the emlyon community, awarded six prizes on the following themes:
Here are the members of the jury:
Christine DI DOMENICO, President of the jury of the Social Entrepreneurship Prize 2025
Isabelle HUAULT, President of the Executive Board and Dean of emlyon business school
Bénédicte BOST, Director of Social and Environmental Commitment at emlyon business school
Lucie CONSTANT, Director of Advancement & Alumni and General Delegate of the emlyon Foundation
Thomas GAUTHIER, Associate Dean for Pedagogy in the Anthropocene and pedagogical director of the Sustainable Futures course
Océane MAGRO, Vice-President of the Board of PGE Corporation and member of the emlyon business school Mission Committee
Luc MORY, Chairman of the Board of emlyon Business School's Global BBA Corporation
Lionel FAVROT, Editorial Director at Mag2 Lyon
Tristan GIRARDON, Co-director of the film Les pieds sur terre, R&D Strategy Analyst at EDF, winner of the 2021 Social Entrepreneurship Prize and 2023 PGE alumni
Octave KLEYNJANS, Impact Lab Director at Impact France, co-founder of the Velhome associationhttps://www.velhome.co/, winner of the 2022 Social Entrepreneurship Prize and 2022 PGE alumni
Thierry PALANDRI, President of Horizon Groupe
Armand ROSENBERG, Managing Director and Chairman of the Executive Board of the AJD Maurice Gounon Foundation, Member of the SSE Regional Chamber and emlyon MBA alumni
This event highlights the ability of project leaders to be actors of change capable of exploring alternative futures, creating, co-constructing and acting in the heart of the city. Congratulations to all the candidates and congratulations to the 6 winning projects! Thank you to all the stakeholders who contributed to the awards.
While previous editions were previously available for the Grande Ecole Program curriculum, the competition is now open to all emlyon programs — Bachelors, Masters and MSc. The PES 2025 was also marked by the inspiring presence of three former laureates who have become social impact entrepreneurs: Octave Kleynjans, Tristan Girardon and Judith Sasportes, who came to share their journey and their commitment from their student life to the beginning of their professional lives.
A unique educational system that places commitment at the heart of the student experience
The Social Entrepreneurship Prize is part of the School's offer of experiential educational systems, which is characterized and differentiated by a unique action-oriented teaching model. As social and environmental responsibility is the central pillar of students' academic careers, emlyon's approach aims to forge a link between reflection and action, through the acquisition of theoretical knowledge but also learning and engaging experiences. Such as the PES, the Responsible Engagement Program or student associations with a mission of general interest, for example, are other mechanisms set up by the School that respond to this challenge. The School thus allows students to build their career with a social entrepreneurial dimension, by promoting their profile as "makers" through their ability to experiment and co-construct impact projects.
As part of its strategy, emlyon business school is carrying out an intrinsic transformation of its courses under the aegis of a methodology labelled "SDGs Inside", in the light of the United Nations SDGs. This model makes it possible to situate each course in a reference framework of 35 CSR skills.