Galway’s most enterprising businesses will receive a New Year bonanza next week when they will be honoured at the 6th Annual SCCUL Enterprise Awards.
The awards ceremony, which will take place in the Bailey Allen Hall, NUI Galway on Friday 29th January, will celebrate enterprise in six different categories: Agriculture & Food, Arts Tourism & Sport, Business Services, Consumer Goods & Services, ICT and Social Enterprise.
Guests of honour for the Awards Ceremony include RTE Dragon and serial entrepreneur Gavin Duffy and NUI Galway President, Dr. James J. Browne.
A bumper top prize of €10,000 cash sponsored by SCCUL Enterprises, an advertising package worth €2500 and a specially commissioned piece of sculpture from Liam Butler will be presented to the overall winner, who will be selected from the winners of the six categories.
Winners in each of the six categories will each receive €1000 in cash, a promotional package worth €1250 and a specially commissioned piece of sculpture from Liam Butler. Runners up in each category will receive a commemorative plaque and a promotional package valued at €750.
A new initiative this year is the SCCUL Enterprise Awards Bursary which is sponsored by St. Columba’s Credit Union. This €5,000 cash prize is designed to support a local entrepreneur or not for profit organisation in facing the day to day challenges of the early years in business.
Supporting the SCCUL Enterprise Awards this year were a number of local business organisations who have come on board as sponsors of the individual awards categories. The six category sponsors are Allied Irish Bank, Collins McNicholas HR & Recruitment Group, Galway City Council, Galway County Council and Mazars. Silver sponsors on the day also include Flynn O’Driscoll Business Lawyers and Xposure.
The judges will also award a Community Recognition prize, sponsored by SSL Logistics, to a business or organisation who has made a notable contribution to their local community.
This is the third year of the SCCUL Student Enterprise Awards open to third level education in Galway City and County. Sponsored by Winters Property Management, the prize winners of the student enterprise award will receive a top prize of €1250, with 2nd and 3rdplaces receiving €500 and €250 respectively.
All 120 entrants were called to preliminary interviews with the judging panel in November. The finalists were then shortlisted and attended a final interview with the judging panel including celebrity judge Gavin Duffy, Dr. Emer Mulligan, Hannah Kiely, James Murphy, Barry Egan and Sean Kinsella in mid- December.
Michael Smyth, General Manager SCCUL Enterprises said “With a prize package of over €50,000 the SCCUL Enterprise Awards have established themselves as one of the top awards programme in the country. I look forward meeting all our participants and to celebrating the achievements of our prize winners at the SCCUL Enterprise Awards Ceremony on Friday,”
The SCCUL Business Expo will be officially opened on January 29, by the Mayor of Galway City, Cllr. Frank Fahy at 10am. The prize giving ceremony will commence at 12noon.
Members of the public are invited to attend this free event. Please contact [email protected] or call 091 386004 to register.
