Prague, September XX, 2025 – EY has announced a new edition of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 competition, in which the jury will award inspiring entrepreneurs both in national categories and in individual regions of the Czech Republic. In the Moravian-Silesian Region, the winner is announced in cooperation with the Governor Josef Bělicka and the Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre Ostrava (MSIC). Entrepreneurs can submit their applications until 19 October 2025, while the general public or institutions can also send nominations for the competition until the same date, which can be a great motivation for submitting an application. Both applications and nominations can be made by filling in the form at www.podnikatelroku.cz.
The regional winners and title holders in the final categories of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 Czech Republic competition, which is held under the auspices of the President of the Czech Republic, will again be selected by expert juries composed of, among others, prominent business personalities awarded in previous years. The main jury will be chaired by Milan Kratina, who together with another co-owner of Accolade , Zdeněk Šoustal, was last year’s winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 Czech Republic title. The regional winners will be announced during January and February 2026, with the final of the competition traditionally taking place in March at a gala evening in Prague.
“This year we are entering the twenty-sixth year of the competition and I am pleased that even after a quarter of a century of EY’s involvement in the Czech Republic, we are still able to discover and reward new, inspiring business stories. This year, President Petr Pavel also acknowledged the importance of entrepreneurial personalities with a personal reception at Prague Castle and thanks for cultivating the Czech business environment. I see this as a confirmation of the quality and prestige of the winners and the meaning of our competition,” says Martina Kneiflová, EY’s Czech Republic Managing Partner.
“Strong and successful business is the foundation of growth in any region – it brings not only jobs and a stronger economy, but also self-confidence and a higher quality of life. In the Moravian-Silesian Region, we have a number of inspiring entrepreneurs, both experienced and new, who are not afraid to go all out and do things with a likeable boldness. I keep my fingers crossed for all of them in their business and also in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year competition, which is a great opportunity to make their success visible and motivate others,” says Josef Bělica, Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region.
“Being successful in business often means putting in not only effort and know-how, but also a piece of heart and time that would otherwise belong to the family. That is why we consider it a pleasure and a mission to partner in a project that recognises the real stories of companies. The competition seamlessly builds on our year-round activities, which include sharing the successes of regional startups and companies with the public. We believe that they deserve support, both in the competition and outside of it,” saysAdélaHradilová, Director of MSIC.
“The Moravian-Silesian Region is full of hard-working people who can build strong companies from humble beginnings and move the whole region forward. These are exactly the kind of entrepreneurs we need to make our region flourish. The experience of winning last year confirmed to me that the EY Entrepreneur of the Year is not just a socially prestigious award, but a platform that gives voice to inspiring stories of perseverance, innovation and a responsible approach to business. I wish all courageous entrepreneurs not to be afraid to enter the nominations for 2025. Don’t be afraid to take a step forward! Your story can motivate others,” says Jiří Votava, founder of BrainMarket and winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 award of the Moravian-Silesian Region.
The main evaluation criterion for the competition is the creation of long-term value. In addition to the economic condition, the competition is also based on the societal contribution of a particular business with an emphasis on its sustainability. This does not depend on the business sector or the size of the business. The door is open to start-ups or smaller family businesses as well as companies with a global reach. Nominations and tips can be submitted via the form at www.podnikatelroku.cz until 19 October 2025. The application form, which entrepreneurs can fill in on the same page, is then decisive for participation in the competition.
The winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 Czech Republic title will once again have the opportunity to represent the Czech Republic at the international level and present themselves at the world finals to be held in May 2026 in Monaco.
Partners of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 competition
The general partner of the competition is Česká spořitelna. The main partner is Aricoma. The official car of the competition is BMW Czech Republic. The main co-organiser is the media group MAFRA – Mladá fronta DNES and iDNES.cz. The main media partners of the competition are Czech Television and Forbes magazine, the media partner is Seznam Zprávy. The sponsors are the Association of Corporate Social Responsibility, CzechInvest and the Czech Chamber of Commerce. The competition is held under the auspices of the President of the Czech Republic.
Additional information
Photo caption: EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 of the Moravian-Silesian Region, from left Marek Tomíček, Development Manager of BRAINMARKET, Martina Kneiflová, Managing Partner of EY Czech Republic, Tomáš Černý, CFO of BRAINMARKET with the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 of the Moravian-Silesian Region award for Jiří Votava.
About the EY Entrepreneur of the Year competition
The EY Entrepreneur of the Year is the world’s most prestigious business competition that pays tribute to exceptional personalities. Its aim is to show the public outstanding personal examples of entrepreneurship that can serve as role models for young aspiring entrepreneurs. The EY Entrepreneur of the Year competition is designed to be international, so the criteria by which individual participants are judged are comparable in each country. As the only globally recognised competition of its kind, it is now regularly held in almost 60 countries on six continents. For more information, please visit www.podnikatelroku.cz.
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EY
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