About the competition

We want to find the best young entrepreneurs in the Thames Valley - and do our best to recognise and reward them for their efforts and help them on their journey.

Haines Watts wants to seek out the best young talent in the Thames Valley region. With offices in several key towns in the region, winners will first be decided on a local basis, leading to a 'grand final' with an overall regional winner.

The prizes will be awarded at both stages and are made up of a cash sum, as well as a year-long mentoring programme with one of the Haines Watts Partners.

Whilst there is an upper age limit of 35, there is no lower age limit. Applicants must have been running their business for at least a year and should be able to supply sound financial information to support their entry.

Winners and Prizes

The local winners will be announced from areas within the Thames Valley.

In addition to any related publicity, each winning business will receive a cash prize of  £250 plus a year-long mentoring and support programme from a Partner at Haines Watts.

The winners from the local competitions will go forward to a regional final and a single winner will be announced, receiving a further £500 cash prize.

We will also have a notable business speaker on the day, who will share ideas and experiences with the finalists.You will learn a lot!

The competition process

• Once you have filled in the online application form, you will receive a confirmation email; all you have to do then is wait and see if you have been successful in getting through the the local 'longlist' stage.
• Successful applicants will be notified by email and will be invited to a HW office to make a short presentation to one of the Partners - these will be assessed and the local finalists will be announced.
• At the Regional Final you will face the best young entrepreneurs across the Thames Valley region in a competition to decide a single overall winner. Details of the requirements for the day will be sent to you in advance but are likely to include a short presentation where 'Dragons Den' rules apply, ie. no notes or PowerPoint presentations, just yourself and your business partner (if you have one).
• At the end of the day, the overall winner will be announced and will receive a further prize of £500.
• Further information about the local finals days and the regional finals day (including events, activities and locations) will be announced at a later date.

We wish you all the best of luck!