National Entrepreneurship Awards 2018 Invite Nominations for India’s Most Promising Entrepreneurs

Aiming to catalyse a cultural shift in youth towards self-employment and entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has instituted the National Entrepreneurship Awards 2018 (NEA).  The awards will recognise and honour first-generation entrepreneurs and organisations/ individuals supporting the entrepreneurs in their journey. These awards are designed with a purpose of highlighting models of excellence for others to emulate and improve upon.

In its third year, a total of 43 awards will be presented, including 39 Awards for Young Entrepreneurs in different sectors and 4 Awards for Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders. The Award categories include a wide variety of entrepreneurship, covering small to big entrepreneurs, by categorising them into three investment categories:

·         Initial investment up to Rs.1 L
·         Initial investment above Rs.1 L to  Rs.10 L
·         Initial investment above Rs. 10 L to Rs.1 Cr

To be eligible for these awards, the nominee must be under the age of 40 years; he/she must be a first-generation entrepreneur and must hold 51% or more equity and ownership of the business. There are special awards for women, persons with disability, scheduled caste/ tribes and entrepreneurs from difficult areas.  Women entrants must individually/collectively own 75% or more of the enterprise.

Candidates are being nominated for the Award will undergo a three-level rigorous evaluation process, wherein, at the last step, the National Jury of eminent personalities drawn from academia/research, industry, social sector, banking etc.will select the winners.

The winners will be felicitated in an Award Ceremony organised by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and will receive an award money of Rs. 5 lakhs to Rs.10 lakhs.