EYE ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD 2025

Apply and become the Entrepreneur of the Year!

✓ You are a former participant of the EYE programme
✓ You have completed your EYE exchange between 01 January 2024 and 31 December 2024

We're looking for entrepreneurs who have used their exchange experience to create tangible impact. Whether you’ve scaled up your operations, entered new markets, or sparked an innovation that moved your business forward, share your experience with us. This is your chance to showcase your journey and inspire others - whether you are a Host or a New Entrepreneur, we are eager to hear your story!

What We Seek:

We are seeking stories that exemplify progress, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit—those who truly embody the essence of EYE programme: turning ideas into action and transforming exchange into tangible, extraordinary results. We are looking for success stories that demonstrate how the exchange enriched your business, or what advantages it brought to your community or even broader entrepreneurial ecosystem. We encourage you to share your journey - your story could serve as an inspiration for others, showcasing the powerful impact that international business exchange can have on a small or growing enterprise.

Award Criteria:

In your application, tell us how unique and impactful your EYE exchange experience has been. We want to understand the story behind your success—how your exchange contributed to meaningful and lasting changes in your business.

We will assess the following key areas:

1. Uniqueness and Effectiveness: Share with us what made your exchange experience stand out. How did you leverage the opportunity to bring unique value to your business? Tell us about the most effective outcomes that resulted from your participation.
2. Market Impact: Have you successfully developed and introduced a product, service, or process into the EU market? We’re looking for tangible examples of how your exchange has driven innovation and increased your market reach.
3. Societal, Digital or Environmental Contribution: Does your business have a concrete societal, digital or environmental impact as a result of the exchange? We want to hear about your contributions to community well-being, sustainability, or any positive societal changes stemming from your innovations.
4. Lasting Benefits and Business Growth: How has your participation in the EYE programme generated lasting benefits for your business? We are interested in understanding the long-term impacts—how your exchange experience has continued to shape and improve your business trajectory.
5. Communication and Presentation Quality: In addition to content, the quality of your presentation matters. We will also consider how clearly and professionally you communicate your story, along with the quality of any video or audio materials provided.
   
   

Submission Guidelines:

• Provide a detailed description (maximum 2000 characters) of your success story and how the EYE programme impacted your entrepreneurial journey. Focus on showcasing the key milestones, innovations, and business achievements resulting from your exchange.
• Create a video (maximum 60 seconds) highlighting the impact of your EYE experience. Include a brief description of your exchange, your business concept, and the specific achievements you reached during or after the exchange. Ensure good sound and video quality to help us understand your story clearly. The video will be used for internal evaluation purposes only and if necessary to share publicly, the public sharing consent would be signed..
• Fill in all required fields of the application form, including personal details, company information, intermediary organisation, and dates of the exchange. Please double-check all information for accuracy.
  
  

Make sure your application is complete, well-structured, and highlights your unique journey through the EYE programme. We are excited to hear your story!

Submission Deadline: 2 February 2025, 23:59 CET.

What’s in it for me?

• If you are a shotlisted finalist (2 new entrepreneurs and 2 host entrepreneurs) you will be invited to pitch your story at the 34th EYE Network Meeting, taking place in Bergamo, Italy on 18-19 March 2025.
• If you win, you will receive a trip to the SME Assembly 2025 – the biggest event in Europe for small and medium-sized enterprises. The event provides vast networking opportunities, features high-level speakers and holds numerous workshops.
• Your winning story will be featured on the EYE website and social media platforms. Get some inspiration from our last year award winner and finalists.

For inquiries regarding submissions, please contact the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Support Office support@erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu

Join us in celebrating innovation sparked thanks to the EYE exchanges. Share your story, showcase your impact, and be part of the EYE Entrepreneur of the Year Award!