Voting for the inaugural Young Entrepreneur Awards 2018 will close on Sunday, November 25, at midnight, bringing the public selection phase to an end after a month of online participation.
In a statement tied to the archive date of November 21, 2018, the YEA programme said Kenyans had been voting for their preferred young entrepreneurs ahead of the final awards ceremony.
Tonnie Mello, the founder of the YEA Awards, said the initiative was created to spotlight young business owners aged between 18 and 35 years. He said the awards were meant to “recognize, celebrate and encourage upcoming and industrious young entrepreneurs” and added that youth entrepreneurship remains important to Kenya’s economy, especially in the small and medium enterprises sector.
The winners will be crowned after the voting window closes, including the best male and female young entrepreneur. Organizers say the top winners are expected to receive marketing and business support services worth more than Sh. 1 million.
The awards have drawn 32 nominees across 10 categories, among them the competitive Male Entrepreneur of the Year and Female Entrepreneur of the Year races. The nominees were selected after a call for entries that closed on September 20, followed by a judging process that ended on October 26.
YEA said the awards have attracted support from several corporate partners, including WYLDE International Limited, Oracle Edge Consulting, Centonomy, Synergistic Value, Valentine’s Cake House, Jumia Kenya, and the Youth Enterprise Development Fund.
Mello said the response from entrepreneurs showed the potential in the sector. He added: “We are thrilled by the response that entrepreneurs have received. This is evidence of the immense potential that this category of entrepreneurship holds,” and urged Kenyans to vote for their preferred youth businessmen and women before the deadline.
Voting is available through the YEA website at https://yea.co.ke/vote.
