25th EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 - Atlantic | Ernst & Young (EY) | 23 April 2018 | Halifax Convention Centre, 1800 Argyle St, Halifax, NS B3J 3N8, Canada

Entrepreneur Of The Year honours the spirit and contribution of entrepreneurs here and around the world.

Why get involved?

Entrepreneur Of The Year winners and finalists represent the world's most influential, innovative and exclusive network of entrepreneurs. Benefits of the program include:
• Unlock an exclusive business network
• Harness the knowledge of best-in-class business advisors
• Elevate your brand through media opportunities
• Recognize the achievements of your team, and involve them every step of the way!
• EY Growth Navigator session – get a customized growth strategy to take your business to the next leve

Given the unique character of the different markets across Canada, Entrepreneur Of The Year seeks nominations in five regions:
• Pacific (British Columbia, Nunavut, Yukon and Northwest Territories)
• Prairies (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba)
• Ontario
• Quebec
• Atlantic Canada

Categories:
The awards fall into three main groups: industry awards, specialty awards, and the lifetime achievement award.

Industry awards:
• Business-to-business products and services
• Business-to-consumer products and services
• Cleantech
• Energy (natural resources, chemicals, services)
• Health sciences (life sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals)
• Hospitality/tourism
• Information technology (software, e-business, security)
• Manufacturing
• Media and entertainment (publishing, advertising, production)
• Mining and metals
• Professional/financial services
• Real estate/construction
• Technology and communications (telecom, semiconductors, infrastructure)

Specialty awards:
• Emerging – Company is less than five years old
• Turnaround– Managed a positive reversal of financial or market fortune
• Young – Someone who is 30 years old or younger
• Special citation – social entrepreneur:

This special citation is a unique category among the awards. It’s given in recognition of an entrepreneur whose achievements have driven large-scale social change and improved people’s lives or quality of life. Click here to learn more about this category.

What’s a social entrepreneur?
We define a social entrepreneur as someone whose business seeks to address a complex social challenge. Their work directly benefits those in need and goes beyond simple service provisions to address the systems issues at their core. They’re on a path to sustainability and don't rely exclusively on grants or donations. They’re able to demonstrate their organization’s impact and show how their mission is at the core of their business.

Social entrepreneurs fall into the “special citation” award category. If this sounds like you, indicate your category as “social” in your nomination form and reach out to your regional program specialist for a set of additional questions to complete for the judging panel.

If this describes you or someone you know, the next step is easy!
Submit your online nomination today!
Self-nominations are encouraged.

Lifetime achievement award:

The lifetime achievement award honours a person who has made an enduring contribution to Canadian business over many years. This very special award broadens the scope of Entrepreneur Of The Year by recognizing Canadians of such a high calibre that they transcend any specific category award.

Past lifetime achievement recipients include Mel Woodward, Ted Rogers, Paul Desmarais, Jim Pattison, Wallace McCain, Laurent Beaudoin, Art DeFehr, William Sauder and Ed Mirvish.