Third level students in Galway who think they have an innovative business idea are being invited to make their pitch in the annual Student Entrepreneur Awards competition.
Applications are now open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students for the 41st annual awards by Enterprise Ireland.
The awards were created to encourage students from all academic disciplines to look at starting their own business as a viable career option, and give them an avenue to explore ideas with real commercial potential.
Ten finalists will be selected to compete for several awards such as the Cruickshank High Achieving Merit Award, the Grant Thornton High Achieving Merit Award and the Local Enterprise Office ICT Award.
The overall winner will share in a €35,000 prize fund and receive mentoring from Enterprise Ireland to develop the commercial viability of their concept.
The other award winners will also receive expert advice and mentoring support from Enterprise Ireland and the programme sponsors to help them turn their ideas into a commercial reality.
Richard Murphy of Enterprise Ireland said “Each year, the Student Entrepreneur Awards receive more than 1,000 submissions from third-level students in colleges and universities all over Ireland and we are always impressed by the high-quality and ingenuity of the entries.”
“Over the past four decades, the Awards have provided an important platform for young, aspiring entrepreneurs from across the country to showcase their innovative business ideas.”
“The competition acts as a springboard for tomorrow’s business leaders, and previous winners and finalists have gone on to achieve success both nationally and internationally.”
“I would encourage anyone with an idea that they believe has commercial potential to enter this year’s Awards and take that first step to business success.”
The closing date for Student Entrepreneur Award entries is Friday, March 11 of 2022. The award winners will be announced at a ceremony on Friday, June 10. Entries can be made via www.studententrepreneurawards.com.
