Search is on for UK’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year

The coveted Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which celebrates the achievements of the UK’s leading young entrepreneurs, is now open for entries.

With £10,000 and national recognition up for grabs business owners aged 16-30 interested in winning the coveted award should submit their applications before the 5pm deadline on Monday 6th September 2010.

Richard Deighton, Innospace Director at Manchester Metropolitan University, said:  ‘Innospace is helping graduates of MMU and other universities to start their own businesses by providing professional office space, meeting rooms, an entrepreneurial community and networking, business support and training events – helping young entrepreneurs develop their business ideas and build success. Shell LiveWIRE is a superb platform for young people to showcase their own successes and I would encourage anyone fitting the criteria to submit an entry.‘

Shell LiveWIRE is one Britain’s longest running youth entrepreneur awards and was established in 1982 as a Shell Social Investment Programme. Previous winners include Innocent Smoothies in 2000 – the company’s first ever business award. Innocent has since grown from 4 staff to over 200, and now has a turnover of £128m.

James Smith, Chairman of Shell UK, said: ‘Entrepreneurial spirit is vital to getting our economy going again. The Shell LiveWIRE award can provide a very timely boost to Britain’s entrepreneurs.’

A blog post by Emma Ward