Frequently asked questions

When does the nomination process begin?
Our call for nominations usually begins in May - June every year.

Who is eligible?
To be eligible to enter the program, the nominee must be an owner or the manager primarily responsible for the recent performance of the company, and an active member of senior management. The nominee’s company must be at least two years old.

Who can submit a nomination?
Anyone associated with a successful entrepreneur – professional advisor, customer, supplier, banker, lawyer, employee or spouse – may nominate the individual. Entrepreneurs can also nominate themselves.

How do I submit a nomination?
You may download the nomination form from https://www.ey.com/en_cn/entrepreneur-of-the-year-program. Send the completed nomination form together with the requested supporting documents to EY offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangzhou or Shenzhen by mail or by email at eoy@hk.ey.com. “EOY 2024” should be clearly marked on the envelop or in the subject line of the email.

How do I know if the person I want to nominate has already won?
The full EOY program past winners list can be found in “Hall of Fame”.

Are nominations kept confidential?
All information submitted on the nomination form will be kept strictly confidential and will only be used by EY and an independent panel of judges for the selection process. Only the winners selected by the panel will be announced to the public.

Do I have to be an EY client?
You do not need to be a client or have any relationship with EY as it pertains to services.

Is there a cost associated with this program?
There is no cost to submit a nomination.

How are the winners chosen?
Winners are chosen by an independent judging panel which comprises captains of industry, well-respected leaders from the community, experts from the business and financial sectors, and previous EOY winners. Members of the panel are chosen for their expertise and commitment to entrepreneurship.
After the nominations are received, they are thoroughly screened and evaluated based on the information provided in the nomination form. We then meet with each nominee for a discussion that helps the evaluation process and a report is submitted to the judges for their deliberation. The independent panel of judges decides on the winners after undertaking a rigorous selection process.

How many award recipients will be selected? What are the awards categories?
The final determination of the categories will be decided based on the quantity and quality of the nominations received. After further deliberation, the judges will select two of the category winners, representing Chinese mainland and Hong Kong/Macau for the title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™, at a gala ceremony hosted by EY in June of the following year.

If I have previously participated in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ awards, can I still participate in it again?
All previous nominees are welcome to participate in the awards program again. For our past winners, they have automatically became the EOY program Hall of Fame and EOY program Academy members.