Today is a big day for the vibrant StartUp Bahrain community! Why? The annual Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship will be held later today at an official ceremony. For the third year in a row, the event under the patronage of H.R.H Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Economic Development Board, will turn into a celebration of personal initiative, entrepreneurial spirit, quick mind, and creativity.
Seven winners divided into several categories will compete for the prestigious award and BD150,000 in cash prizes. In addition, the winners will attend tailor-made workshops to help them succeed further. The organizing committee also confirmed the winners would also receive cash prizes of up to BD40,000 along with the rest of the awards and benefits.
During the previous two editions of the event, the organizers received over 200 applications. The jury has excelled 14 outstanding business leaders amongst those. The primary goal of the ceremony is to encourage entrepreneurship among Bahraini youth and accelerate the diversification of the national economy in line with the Economic Vision 2030. It also aims to strengthen the partnerships between the public and the private sectors, and their joint efforts towards achieving economic growth and creating jobs.
The Labor Fund Tamkeen is the main driving force behind the award. Its strategic partners include the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism, the Bahrain Economic Development Board, the Bahrain Development Bank, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and many more government bodies and agencies. Among Tamkeen’s private partners are EY Bahrain and the Arab International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Investment – Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for Investment and Technology in Bahrain.