2016 Entrepreneur of the Year Competition

SA's leading entrepreneural competition now open for entries

By Pamela Sibiya

One of the biggest financial services group in South Africa, Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS is proud to announce the launch of the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year competition.

Now in its 28th year, this renowned competition pays homage to courageous South African entrepreneurs who dedicate themselves to their businesses' growth. It is also in honour of the huge contribution by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to the South African economy.

This years' criteria is no different as it also seeks to recognise the importance of the contribution to job creation by SMEs by acknowledging them through recognition and promotion of their excellence.

Entrepreneurs who believe that they have succeeded against the odds, persevered through storms and have shown massive innovation and agility are some of the qualities that the judges are looking for.

There are also a number of quantative competition measures, such as turnover growth, profitability, owners' equity growth, positive cash flows and job creation that play a part in the competition's judging process.

There are five categories that the entrepreneurs can choose to apply to, namely, Emerging Entrepreneur, Small Business Entrepreneur, Medium Business Entrepreneur, Job Creator of the Year and Innovator of the Year.

Interested entrepreneurs are encouraged to apply before the 16th of June, by downloading an online entry form found on the Entrepreneur Of the Year website, www.eoy.co.za.

They can also interact with fellow entrepreneurs and entrants on the competitions' social media platforms, @EOY_SA on Twitter and EOY SA on Facebook.