EY Entrepreneur of the Year Program 2026 – YOA

Deadline: February 27, 2026

Applications are open for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Program 2026. Each 12 months the Entrepreneur of the Year Program celebrates bold entrepreneurs who’re shaping the future, and constructing a extra equitable, sustainable and affluent world for all.

Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur of the Year has celebrated greater than 11,000 bold visionaries who’re main profitable, dynamic companies in the US, and it has since expanded to almost 60 nations globally. This program honors many differing types of enterprise leaders for his or her ingenuity, braveness and entrepreneurial spirit. They rejoice authentic founders who bootstrapped their enterprise from inception or who raised exterior capital to develop their firm; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an current group to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational household enterprise leaders who reimagined a legacy enterprise mannequin to fortify it for the future.

Benefits

• Build helpful relationships with entrepreneurs who’re main profitable companies throughout a range of industries.
• Increase publicity to potential prospects, suppliers and traders.
• Recognize your organization’s success inside the native enterprise neighborhood and rejoice your group.
• Gain entry to unique peer-to-peer studying and networking experiences.
• Connect with EY topic-matter sources for steerage on fostering lengthy-time period worth creation.

Eligibility

The Entrepreneur

• The entrepreneur have to be the CEO or president of a non-public or public firm who’s primarily accountable for the latest efficiency of the firm.
• The entrepreneur could also be the authentic founder, a multigenerational household enterprise chief, or a transformational CEO of an organization or subsidiary who is just not the founder.
• The entrepreneur will need to have been in the position for not less than two years by the application deadline.
• Previous eligible finalists and candidates who didn’t win are eligible to reapply.
• Former award winners could reapply if they’ve based or transitioned to a brand new firm.

The Company

• Companies will need to have been in enterprise for not less than two years to be eligible.
• Companies are best once they show lengthy-time period worth and has a powerful progress price and progress plans.
• Only for-revenue companies could apply.
• Companies will need to have a minimal income of $10M*.
  * Revenue exceptions embody firms in the Life Sciences sector and rising firms which might be lower than 5 years outdated.

Judging Criteria

The impartial panel of judges evaluates nominees on a range of standards, together with, however not restricted to:

• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Purpose
• Growth
• Impact
• Financial efficiency

Application

Click here to apply

For extra data, go to EY Entrepreneur of the Year Program.