A PRIZE fund of €10,000 is up for grabs at this year’s County Enterprise Awards.
Small business owners throughout Dún Laoghaire Rathdown are being encouraged to share their success stories by entering this year’s awards.
The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) has announced that entries are now open.
The local winner will be chosen during National Enterprise Week in March.
They will then go head-to-head with 31 other local winners at the annual National Enterprise Awards in May.
Georgina Sweetnam, Acting Head of dlr LEO, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for companies to share their success stories and get noticed.
“The Local Enterprise Office has supported hundreds of start-ups, micro enterprises and small businesses throughout the county in the past 12 months, so we know that there are many outstanding candidates in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
“We’re confident that many exceptional companies will enter and a national winner could well be among their ranks.”
The deadline for applications is 4pm on February 10. Six companies or individuals will be chosen as county finalists and will share in a prize fund of €10,000.
The winner will represent Dún Laoghaire Rathdown at the National Enterprise Awards, which offers a total prize fund of €40,000.
The six finalists will be interviewed by a select panel of judges in February. They will also be offered the opportunity to have a short promotional video made about their company.
The National Enterprise Awards are run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices to celebrate the achievements of Ireland’s small businesses and micro-enterprise sector.
Last year’s Local Enterprise Award was won by Sandyford-based financial software company ClearChoice, which provides web-based software to advisers who are researching and analysing the current Irish life assurance market to ensure they give clear, compliant and correct advice to consumers.
The County Enterprise Awards are open to companies employing 10 people or less who have received at least one type of support from LEO DLR whether training, networking, mentoring or funding.
Anyone wishing to enter should contact the LEO on 01-2047083 or visit www.localenterprise.ie/DLR