Deadline Date: April 30, 2026
Applications are now open for the Stelios Bi-Communal Business Awards to support joint entrepreneurship between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot business partners.
The initiative focuses on strengthening bi-communal business cooperation, encouraging entrepreneurship that connects communities, promoting reinvestment and business growth, supporting collaboration and dialogue between entrepreneurs, and advancing shared responsibility and long-term stability for businesses operating across both communities.
The awards are funded by Stelios Haji‑Ioannou through the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, with a total prize fund of €500,000 available for nine winning bi-communal business teams, each consisting of two entrepreneurs from the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. The Gold Award provides €150,000 in total, with €75,000 granted to each entrepreneur.
Two teams will receive Silver Awards totaling €200,000, where each team obtains €100,000 shared equally between partners. Six teams will receive Bronze Awards amounting to €150,000 in total, with each team receiving €25,000 divided equally between the two entrepreneurs.
The funding is designed to support reinvestment, expansion and the continued strengthening of business activities that operate across both communities. By providing financial support directly to the entrepreneurs, the initiative aims to encourage stability and long-term cooperation in joint ventures.
To be eligible, applicants must be Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot entrepreneurs who operate a joint business activity across both communities. The business must have an annual turnover of at least €10,000 and must employ at least one additional person apart from the owner. Applicants must also submit documentation demonstrating active collaboration in both communities. Previous applicants and past winners from earlier years are eligible to apply again.
For more information, visit Stelios Philanthropic Foundation.
