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EY is seeking nominees from New Jersey for its 2026 Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Founded in 1986 by the global tax and advisory services firm, the national recognition is considered one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. Over the years, it has celebrated more than 11,000 professionals who lead successful, dynamic businesses in the U.S. and nearly 60 countries around the world.

Some past winners include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Dell Computer Corp. founder Michael Dell, Noom founder Saeju Jeong, Crumbl Cookies founder Jason McGowan and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.

According to EY, nominees are evaluated by an independent panel of judges on criteria such as:

• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Purpose
• Growth
• Impact
• Financial performance

Eligibility

To be eligible, nominees must be the CEO or president of a private or public company who is primarily responsible for the recent performance and served in that role for at least two years. They may also be the original founder, multigenerational family business leader or transformational CEO who is not the founder of a company or subsidiary.

EY noted that the company must have been in business for at least two years and have a minimum revenue of $10 million. There are potential exceptions to the revenue requirement for companies in the life sciences sector and emerging high-growth companies that are less than five years old.

Only for-profit businesses based in the U.S. may apply, EY said.

Applications for 2026 can be submitted through Feb. 27. Click here for more information on the process.

NJ EY alumni

Regional winners will be announced in June. Then, honorees will be eligible for the national awards, which EY will hand out in November. From there, the overall winner will represent the U.S. at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year competition.

Within New Jersey, past regional winners have included:

• Integris founder and CEO Rashaad Bajwa
• K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel co-founders and co-CEOs Jason Parker and Steve Parker
• Undercover Snacks CEO, founder and co-owner Diana Levy
• CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator
• Solar Landscape co-founder and CEO Shaun Keegan and co-founder and COO Corey Gross