Entrepreneur of the Year Competition 2017 for Young South African Entrepreneurs.

Application Deadline: May 15th 2017

The Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS is an annual competition that recognises and honours South African entrepreneurs in the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector. The competition celebrates excellence in entrepreneurship to inspire others to venture into and succeed in the world of business.

The Entrepreneur of the Year^® award is the ultimate acknowledgement everyone should aspire to. It is not just about the competition, it is much more than that. The Entrepreneur of the Year^® competition is about developing the standard of excellence in entrepreneurship all over South Africa. It is about promoting that excellence as the norm and not the exception. It is about promoting entrepreneurship as an honourable and rewarding, yet challenging career. It is about educating entrepreneurs so that they reach that standard of excellence.

Prizes:

• Finalists stand the chance to win prizes worth a total value of R2 million, which includes cash prizes of R500 000.
• Finalists and winners are able to expand their networks and receive invaluable media exposure for their businesses as a result of the competition.

Requirements:

To enter the Entrepreneur of the Year^® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS, you need to be based in South Africa and comply with the minimum criteria of the categories outlined below.

Entrepreneurs who enter may be considered for the following categories in the Entrepreneur of the Year^® competition:

Emerging Entrepreneur

An entrepreneur who has been in their present business for a maximum of 3 years and with a turnover not exceeding R5 million on the date the entry form is received by the steering committee. The entrepreneur must not be involved in any other business. The controlling shareholder(s) will be regarded as the entrant(s).

Small Business Entrepreneur

An entrepreneur who runs a business, irrespective of length of time during which it has been active, with a turnover of between R5 million and R30 million in the tax year immediately preceding the date of entering the competition. The controlling shareholder(s) will be regarded as the entrant(s).

Medium Business Entrepreneur

An entrepreneur who runs a business, irrespective of the length of time during which it has been active, with a turnover of more than R30 million in the tax year immediately preceding the date of entering the competition.  The controlling shareholder(s) will be regarded as the entrant(s).

Job Creator of the Year

An entrepreneur who not only employs a significant number of employees, but also plays a key role in uplifting, up-skilling and training them. They help towards making a dent in the unemployment rate of the community, area, province and country where the business is situated. The controlling shareholder(s) will be regarded as the entrant(s).

Innovator of the Year

An entrepreneur who has:

• Reinvented the way business is done in his/her industry; and/or
• Been innovative in the product or service being offered to the market; and/or
• Found a way of drawing the best qualified and technical people in his/her industry and kept them by creating a special environment where employees can flourish. The controlling shareholder(s) will be regarded as the entrant(s).

Two additional Entrepreneur of the Year^® award categories can be awarded at the discretion of the judging panel, namely:

Lifetime Achiever

An established entrepreneur who has made great strides in his/her business over many years. The steering committee proactively sources finalists for the Lifetime Achiever award category with the judges selecting the final winner.

Judging Process

• The judging process is completely independent.
• The judges represent different areas of the business community.
• The evaluation process runs through three different filtering processes, which ensure that everything is checked and rechecked to remove any human error or human preference which may creep in from time to time.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Entrepreneur of the Year Competition 2017