Suomen Yrittäjät, the main organization of Finnish entrepreneurs, is searching for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Anyone can nominate a young entrepreneur for inclusion in the Young Entrepreneur 2020 competition before 14 February 2020.
The Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition is the most respected national contest for young business owners. The winner will receive 20,000 euros. There will be another two prizes of 7,000 euros and 3,000 euros for those in second and third place.
Suomen Yrittäjät has been organizing this competition for the last four years. According to the organization, almost 400 nominations were submitted from all over Finland in 2019.
“We are looking for entrepreneur entrants who are successful and innovative in their fields and have shown an exceptionally entrepreneurial attitude. Through this competition, we want to show that young people are strong, and to share positive entrepreneurial stories, particularly with the younger generation,” says Suomen Yrittäjät's network manager Aicha Manai.
The conditions
Anyone may submit a nomination. The notifications are sent to the candidate’s regional association, which considers it in officially naming its candidates.
The candidates must fulfill several conditions in order to be eligible for this award.
The basic requirements are that the young entrepreneurs nominated for the competition must have been born on or after 1 January 1984. And the business must have been in operation for at least three years. The entrepreneur may also be continuing a family business.
If the business has several owners, the young nominee aged 36 or under must own at least 50% of its shares. The business must have the requirements for continued success and have its finances in order.
Regional pre-competitions
The competition is divided into regional pre-competitions that decide the Suomen Yrittäjät regional associations’ Young Entrepreneurs of the Year and the nominees for the national round. The five best candidates are selected as finalists.
The national Young Entrepreneur of the Year will be revealed at the Young Entrepreneurs’ Get Together event at the Järvisydän Hotel & Spa Resort in Rantasalmi on 15-16 May 2020.
Last year’s winners
Last year the prize was awarded to Jarna Kaplas, who runs the container restaurant Morton in Savo. Second place went to Arttu Muukkonen, who runs the Lehmus Roastery in South Karelia, and third place went to Johannes Karjula of Trustmary Group, based in Central Finland, which helps improve customer experience.
Links to nominate candidates
You can read the competition instructions and criteria (in Finnish) in detail on the competition website HERE
And you can nominate an entrepreneur by filling Suomen Yrittäjät's form HERE
Besides this competition to elect the Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Suomen Yrittäjät also organized in 2019 a specific prize for the Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year. Faisa Egge, a Kenyan immigrant who created the company Amanihoiva Kotihoito Oy, won this competition last year.
