The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) is accepting applications for the 2014 edition of the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award.
Canadian business owners aged 18 to 35 will compete for a grand prize of $100,000 and a second prize of $25,000 in consulting services from BDC. The deadline to enter the contest is April 3 at noon, Eastern Daylight Saving Time.
BDC is looking for young entrepreneurs who face a turning point: continue at their current pace or seize the opportunity to grow their business and achieve the momentum that will lead to long-term success. Applicants have to submit a short video describing their business’s turning point and the solution that will help them achieve future growth. All entries must describe a project that has yet to be implemented.
Apply online at bdc.ca/yea. For updates about the 2014 BDC Young Entrepreneur Award, follow BDC on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
The contest is open to all Canadian entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 as of Dec. 31, 2013.
Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents with a business based in Canada. They must have been responsible for their company’s day-to-day management for at least two years as of Dec. 31, 2013, and must hold at least 20 per cent of the company’s capital stock. Certain non-profit businesses are also eligible. Full eligibility criteria are available on the contest’s website.
“Our past finalists view the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest as the catalyst to a better understanding of what it takes to grow a business from a small venture to a powerhouse and as a source of unparalleled visibility opportunities,” said Michel Bergeron, senior vice-president, marketing and public affairs at BDC. “Now’s the time to be bold, dream big, explore new avenues and devise the winning strategy that will make your business thrive.
“The contest aims to showcase the vibrancy of Canada’s young entrepreneur community and its importance to the prosperity of our economy. It is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to raise the profile of their business and tap into networks that will ultimately help them keep ahead of competitors and take their business to the next level.”
Created by the Business Development Bank of Canada in 1988, the BDC Young Entrepreneur Award contest pays tribute to remarkable Canadian entrepreneurs between 18 and 35 years of age. Up to 11 finalists — one for each province and one for the combined territories — will be selected to compete for a $100,000 grand prize. A second prize of $25,000 in consulting services will be awarded to the contest runner-up.
For the first time in 2014, a national committee will evaluate the quality of the finalist projects and will give each finalist a score that will be combined with the public vote. The national committee evaluation is weighted to account for 30 per cent of each project’s final ranking and the public vote will account for the remaining 70 per cent of the ranking.
