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Entrepreneur Of The Year® application overview

Each year the Entrepreneur Of The Year program celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all.

Nominations are accepted year-round at eoy.ey.com. The full 2024 application is available now and must be submitted by the deadline on March 1, 2024.

A summary of the required application information is outlined below, and additional information about the benefits of participation, eligibility requirements, judging criteria and the program timeline can be found here. For further instructions on navigating the application portal, please refer to the application guide.

Nominate or apply

About the entrepreneur and the company

  • Nominee information

    Entrepreneurs must be the CEO or president of a private or public company who is primarily responsible for the recent performance of the company. Both founders and non-founders are eligible to apply, and the entrepreneur must have been in the role for at least two years by the application deadline.

    • Nominee name
    • Nominee job title
    • Years nominee has been in their current role
    • Years nominee has been with company
    • Nominee email
    • Nominee work phone number
    • Nominee LinkedIn profile (if one exists)
    • Highest level of education completed, with name of the educational institution
    • Is the nominee the founder?
    • Is the nominee actively involved in executive management?
    • Is the nominee a military veteran?
    • Has the nominee previously participate in Entrepreneur Of The Year? If yes, what was the most recent status achieved?
    • Assistant information, including contact information for co-nominees, please provide these details for each individual nominated.
    • A professional color photographof the nominee, including head and shoulders is preferred. The digital file should be a minimum 300 dpi, 80 x 120 pixels in jpg, jpeg, .png, .eps format, and maximum 5MB file size

  • Company information

    The entrepreneur’s company must be at least two years old to be eligible. Companies are most competitive when they demonstrate long-term value. Only entrepreneurs with for-profit businesses may apply.

    • Company name
    • Company headquarters address
    • Company phone number
    • Brief company description – please provide a brief summary including major products/services and markets; maximum 250 characters allowed, approximately 30 words
    • Full company description – please provide a more detailed description, including major products/services and markets; maximum 1250 characters allowed, approximately 150 words
    • Is the business considered a social enterprise?
    • Is the business owned or controlled by another company?
    • Is the business a Family-owned business that is being led by at least the second generation?
    • Company industry
    • What year was the company founded?
    • Company URL
    • Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S® Number, if applicable

  • Financial data

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

    • Three years of financial data, to include:
      • Fiscal year-end
      • Total employees
      • Annual revenue – annual revenue is generated by the sale of products or services. It can be located on the income statement.
      • Profit before taxes – profit before tax refers to net profit earned by the business before deducting taxes]
      • EBITDA – earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization
      • Total assets 
      • Total equity
    • Is the company publicly listed or privately held? 
      • If public, what year did the company go public, and what is the stock exchange symbol? 
      • If private, please share the number of investors in the company, along with listing the significant investors.
    • What sources of investment have been leveraged to date?
    • Has the company had a merger within the last 3 years? 
      • If yes, which year did the merger occur, and what percentage of revenue growth was attributed to the merger?
    • If there are any circumstances impacting the company's financial results or any unusual trends in the financial data, please provide additional information to explain.

Narratives

The narratives section allows you to highlight the entrepreneur and share additional information about their company. Each narrative is limited to a maximum of 2,000 characters, or approximately 250 words.

  • About the nominee and business

    • Provide details on the history of the company
    • Include the source of the idea for the original business strategy and/or the evolution of the business
    • If the nominee is the founder, explain the difficulty they faced in launching and building the business, including the personal and financial risk involved
    • If the nominee is not the founder, describe the challenges they had in assuming the entrepreneurial role, including risk-taking, financial investment or other personal sacrifice
    • If the nominee is a member of a family-owned business, please describe the generational history of the company and succession plan to carry it forward
    • Discuss any significant obstacles overcome within the industry

  • Entrepreneurial spirit

    • Describe how the nominee identifies opportunities to innovate and create a better world
    • Explain how they take risks to realize their vision
    • State how they have demonstrated courage, perseverance and overcome obstacles

  • Purpose

    • Discuss how they commit themselves and their organization to an inspiring purpose and vision
    • Describe how they drive strategies for a sustainable future
    • Explain how they create and protect value in the long term, across a broad group of stakeholders, including consumers, employees, suppliers, government, communities, investors, and shareholders

  • Growth

    • Explain how they increase market share and expand into new markets
    • Describe how they drive positive financial performance
    • Provide an example of how they invest in attracting, developing and retaining the best talent
    • Describe how they build a culture of innovation that pioneers new approaches or technologies 

  • Impact

    • Explain how they positively impacts the customers they serve
    • Detail how they integrate sustainable Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices in their strategy, with robust commitments and execution plans
    • Discuss their focus on diversity and inclusion across multiple dimensions

To learn more about the Entrepreneur Of The Year program, contact your regional team. 

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