• The nominee must be an owner or CEO of a private or public company, primarily responsible for the company’s recent performance and an active member of top management.
• Non-founding entrepreneurs are also eligible if the individual manages the business and assumes the associated risks.
• Co-nominees are eligible if they share leadership responsibilities at the company.
• The nominee must have been in their current role for at least two years, dating back from the time of the application deadline in April.
• The nominee’s company must be at least three years old. However, for Emerging Entrepreneurs we accept nominees from companies aged two to five years.

Yes. Most times, businesses have established shareholder relations or marketing departments that have already compiled most of the required information. Your company may delegate the preparation of the nomination responses to someone in your organization.

Given the unique character of the different markets across Canada, Entrepreneur Of The Year seeks nominations in five regions: Pacific (BC and the territories), Prairies (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba), Ontario, Québec and Atlantic.

You must be nominated in the region where your company is headquartered. Typically, that’s where the business’s owner/CEO/CEO-equivalent is located. This helps ensure consistency for all nominations across Canada.

If you are named a semifinalist or Canadian finalist, the estimated time commitment is between 12 and 20 hours. See below or download the Entrepreneur of the Year Program Timeline.

All information provided in the nomination form and otherwise will be reviewed by the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year team and shared with the independent panel of judges, who sign a confidentiality agreement and do not retain any documentation. No detailed financial information will be shared with the program sponsors.

In our promotional material, we may refer to your participation in the program and include the brief company description you provide. Any other public disclosure of information will not be made without your consent.

Historically, the majority of nominees have represented private companies with confidential financial information. The limited financial information requested remains confidential. Financial information is an important quantifiable indicator of success available to the independent panel of judges. Please complete the form in its entirety and describe your company growth as accurately as possible.

Multiple nominees on an application are acceptable. However, each additional nominee must be added in the one nomination form in the designated section.

The awards fall into three main groups: performance-based awards, specialty awards and the lifetime achievement award.

An independent panel of judges will assess award nominees based on the following criteria:

• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Value creation
• Strategic direction
• National and global impact
• Innovation
• Purpose-driven leadership

The completeness with which the nomination form is prepared is of significant importance in the judging process and will have a material bearing on whether you advance in the program.

The judges always take the general economic climate into consideration when evaluating companies’ recent performance. This year as the entire world and business community tackle a global pandemic, we know there will be inevitable ups and downs to the business cycle. Seeking to celebrate the great things that businesses do, we focus on success.

When the economy is emerging from a downturn, entrepreneurs who have shown that they steered through challenges and held their own — or even grown — are worthy of recognition. EY Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes tough, determined, resilient people who persevere through circumstances beyond their control.

Entrepreneurs are the trailblazers who lead the way and build the future — and are the catalysts for positive change. We celebrate entrepreneurship as the key to economic recovery. In tough times more than ever, entrepreneurs need to be recognized.