Applications are open for young people to enter the 42nd Student Entrepreneur Awards competition by Enterprise Ireland.
The annual competition gives young people who have an innovative business idea with real commercial potential to showcase their stuff, and take home a €10,000 prize.
This year celebrates the 42nd year of the Student Entrepreneur Awards, which aim to encourage students with entrepreneurial ambitions from all academic disciplines to explore starting their own business as a career option.
The Awards are open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students from across Ireland’s third-level institutions.
Richard Murphy of Enterprise Ireland said, “Since its inception over four decades ago, the Student Entrepreneur Awards have provided young, ambitious entrepreneurs with the opportunity to showcase their innovative business ideas.”
“Every year, we receive over 1,000 entries from third-level students from across the country. We continue to be inspired by the high-calibre entries which are a testament to the emphasis that our higher-level institutes place on entrepreneurship.”
“The awards are a stepping-stone to success for Ireland’s future business leaders and many past participants have excelled in entrepreneurship on both national and international levels.”
“I’d encourage all third-level students to enter the awards now and start out on the journey to realising your entrepreneurial ambitions.”
The winner of the competition will receive a €10,000 prize, along with mentoring Enterprise Ireland to support them in making their concept a reality.
Other award winners will also receive expert advice and mentoring support from Enterprise Ireland, as well as sponsorship to help them get off the ground.
University College Cork student Annie Madden, co-founder of FenuHealth, won Enterprise Ireland’s 2022 Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Her company develops 100% natural products designed to prevent and resolve stomach problems in horses and ponies.
Other 2022 award winners included SETU student Alannah Pardy of Recapture One, a cloud-based multimedia company specialising in the development of personalised bereavement memorials, and from St. Angela’s College, Sligo; vitamin C and collagen snack company Rollagen, established by Claire Finnegan.
The closing date for Student Entrepreneur Award entries is Thursday, March 16. The award winners will be announced at a ceremony on Friday, 9 June 2023.
Entries to the Student Entrepreneur Awards 2023 can be made via www.studententrepreneurawards.com.
