Entrepreneurship rewards

Entrepreneurs in Bahrain have the chance to receive the recognition they deserve for their endeavours to help create wealth, jobs and inspiration in a highly-competitive marketplace.

The Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship, the largest award of its kind in the kingdom, is open for nominations and applications. Launched to coincide with the Bahrain Noor El Ain Festival, the initiative is designed to support Bahraini businesses and recognise the efforts and contributions of businesses and entrepreneurs to Bahrain’s economy.

With voting remaining open until January 25, businesses will have the opportunity to both apply as entrepreneurs or nominate entrepreneurs of distinction for the five award categories: Micro-Enterprise of the Year (micro enterprises and productive families), Startup of the Year (companies established for less than 36 months), Entrepreneur of the Year (SMEs), Entrepreneur of the Year (Large Companies) and Sustainable Business Award.

In addition to these categories, there will be a People’s Choice Award that will follow a different mechanism that takes the public vote into consideration. This comes alongside the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is aimed at long-standing entrepreneurial pioneers.

While businesses will initiate the nominations made on behalf of a third-party or through direct application, a panel of judges will evaluate applicants based on their enterprise growth, economic impact, optimisation of talent and diversity, leadership and innovation, business responsibility and entrepreneurial spirit. The diverse panel of well-respected judges will comprise of high-profile Bahraini figures and some of the region’s most well-known entrepreneurs and business figures.

The initiative is being held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB).

Tamkeen chairman and acting chief executive Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, believes the award scheme forms the ‘perfect opportunity’ to recognise key achievements and efforts made by Bahrain’s passionate entrepreneurs that have helped in further expanding Bahrain’s economy and infrastructure.

The Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship is done in partnership comprising Tamkeen, the EDB, the Bahrain Development Bank; and Knowledge Advisors BCCI, EY Bahrain and the Arab International Center for Entrepreneurship and Investment Training – United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Investment & Technology Promotion Office in Bahrain.

Kamal Ahmed, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and acting chief executive of the EDB, added: “These awards will help us identify and acknowledge a generation of innovators, who will grow to be leaders in their fields, and will help place Bahrain on the regional and global map of innovation”.

Information, including the eligibility and evaluation criteria, as well as application forms, is available on the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship website www.BahrainAE.com or ‘the award section’ on the Bahrain Noor El Ain website www.bahrainnoorelain.com

* For further information, or to find out how to participate in the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship, interested entrepreneurs and businesses can visit www.BahrainAE.com follow Twitter, Instagram and Facebook account on BahrainAE, contact the award’s hotline on 17000710 between 7.30am and 11pm or email info@BahrainAE.com