Back to EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland

What is the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™?

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme honours founders, CEOs and leaders who demonstrate excellence in areas such as innovation, financial performance, social responsibility and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. 

Since its launch in 1986, the Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme has grown into a global business awards programme in 60 countries and 145 cities around the world. Every year, country winners from around the world participate in the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ and vie for the coveted title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™.

When does the 2024 nomination process begin for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme, and how do I receive more information?

The nomination window for the 2024 programme is now closed. Further information about the nomination process is available below.

Who is eligible for nomination?

Nominees should be responsible for the company’s success. This is typically the company's founder or CEO. These individuals should be in their role for a minimum of two years, and the business should be operational for at least two years. The entrepreneur should have a significant personal financial stake in the business, either directly or via share options. Co-nominees are eligible if they share leadership responsibilities at the company.

Eligibility Criteria

• EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is an all-island programme.
• Nominees must own a minimum of 5% of the company (publicly listed companies will be assessed on a case-by-case basis).
• Nominees must be primarily responsible for the recent performance of the company.
• Nominees must either be Irish or running a company based on the island of Ireland.
• Turnover in excess of €1 million or £1 million.
• The nominee’s company must be trading for a minimum of two years (companies with a long R&D process pre-commencement of trading, early-stage life sciences and technology companies and companies that have received significant investment are dealt with on a case-by-case basis).
• If nominees have previously applied and not been shortlisted to the final 24, our judging panel welcomes and encourages them to apply multiple times. Some of our previous finalists and even winners have successfully been invited into the programme after multiple applications.

What information is required in the application?

Nominee Information

• Company name
• Title
• Headquarters’ location
• Nominee’s email
• Company URL
• Years nominee has been with company
• Years in this position
• Assistant’s information
  • Phone and email
    
• Previously nominated?
  
  • Status achieved
    

• Provide D-U-N-S® (Dun & Bradstreet) number, if applicable
• Publicly held company?
  • Year company went public
    
• Founder actively involved in top management
  
• Company raised or received outside investment
  
  • Year raised
    

This information is considered confidential. Financial information is an important quantifiable indicator of success available to the panels of judges; therefore, it is required that the financial data section be completed in full.

• Company mergers (within the past three years)
• Provide percentage of the growth due to merger
• Three years of financial data, to include:
  • Fiscal year-end
  • Total employees
  • Annual sales
  • Income before taxes
  • EBITDA
  • Total assets
  • Total equity

If necessary, please provide sufficient information to explain any unusual trends in the information provided in an attached narrative.

Who can submit a nomination?

Anyone who is associated with a successful entrepreneur can nominate a candidate. This includes spouses, employees, bankers, attorneys, public relations managers, or entrepreneurs themselves. Self-nominations are encouraged! After all, no one knows the dimensions of an entrepreneur's success better than the entrepreneur.

Do nominees need to be an EY client?

No, you do not need to be a client or have any relationship within the EY organisation as it pertains to services.

Are nomination forms kept confidential?

Yes. The information on the nomination form will be used by the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland team (in connection with the administration of the award) and the independent panel of judges.

What is the cost associated with submitting a nomination for this programme?

There is no cost to submit a nomination.

How do I submit a nomination?

Nominations can be submitted through our EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ secure online application form.

Who are the judges?

The independent judging panel consists of past EY Ireland Entrepreneur Of The Year™ category and overall winners and representatives from our programme sponsors. More information about the judging panel can be found here.

How are the winners selected?

All nominees are judged on their individual merits, stories, and achievements. They are not scored only against companies in their industry. The judges carefully consider all of the nominees across the same scorecard using the global judging criteria and select the most impressive and compelling nominees as finalists and winners each year.

Are there categories?

Yes, there are three categories within the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme. These are; Emerging, Established, and International.

Can I Enter With A Partner?

Yes, you can enter the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme in a pair.

When does the Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland Awards ceremony take place?

The annual EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland awards ceremony is traditionally held in November.

Any other questions?

Please email the EY Entrepreneur Of the Year™ Ireland team at eoy@ie.ey.com.