Young European Entrepreneur Award

The Young European Entrepreneur Award is a business pitching contest designed to celebrate innovation and entrepreneurship across all sectors.

Open to young entrepreneurs from diverse industries, this award offers a unique platform for showcasing fresh ideas and groundbreaking ventures.

Benefits

• Exclusive media spotlight
  • Gain unparalleled visibility with dedicated media coverage that highlights your entrepreneurial journey, achievements and innovative ideas, connecting you with a global audience.
• Networking opportunities
  • Participate to the EU Industry Days and the SME Assembly, Europe’s main industry events, where finalists will gain invaluable networking opportunities, learn from industry leaders and engage in collaborative discussions to drive innovation.
• Transformative incubation and training package
  • Each of the 10 finalists will receive up to €20 000 worth of customised pre incubation/acceleration training. This includes expert coaching in pitching and presentation skills, empowering them to refine their ideas and strategies.
• Travel sponsorship
  • The organisers will handle and cover all travel arrangements, ensuring five finalists can fully focus on their presentations and participation in the pitching event and award ceremony without logistical concerns.

Eligibility Criteria

• Individual – Applications can only be received from an individual entrepreneur (team applications are not permitted).
• Origin – Participants must be EU-based owners or founders of SMEs, and the applicant must be a citizen of an EU country.
• Age – Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 40 on 14 March 2025.
• Business stage – The competition is open to individuals with SMEs in the early stages of development (less than 5 years in operation). Eligible SMEs can be in the pre-seed, seed or early growth stages.
• Entrepreneurial experience – Entrepreneurs must have less than 5 years of total entrepreneurial experience (including starting other companies).
• Ownership – The applicant must have a minimum of 51 % ownership of the company on which their application is based.
• Participation – Only the owner/co-owner of the company can participate and do the final pitch (employees are not allowed to participate).
• Focus – Businesses should address a key societal, environmental or economic challenge (e.g. UN Sustainable Development Goals).
• Industry – The competition is open to SMEs and owners of small businesses across all industries, but the business idea must clearly demonstrate innovation and scalability.

For more information, visit EC.