FAQs
What are the key dates for the Gulf Capital SME Awards 2020?
Entries Open – 5th Jan 2020
Entry Deadline – 12th April 2020
Round 1 Judging – 3rd to 10th May 2020
Finalist Announcement – End of May 2020
Round 2 Judging – 31st May to 11th June 2020
Gulf Capital SME Awards Ceremony & Gala Dinner– 9th September 2020
Who should enter the Gulf Capital SME Awards?
Businesses with a valid trade license in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and UAE and with a company turnover of less than 250m AED / 25.66m Bahraini Dinar / 20.86m Kuwaiti Dinar / 26.20m Omani Rial / 255.31m SAR and less than 250 employees.
Who can enter the Start-up Business of the Year?
Businesses that have been trading for less than 2 years and hold a valid trade license in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and UAE and with a company turnover of less than 250m AED / 25.66m Bahraini Dinar / 20.86m Kuwaiti Dinar / 26.20m Omani Rial / 255.31m SAR and less than 250 employees. This is the only award in which businesses younger than 2 years can enter.
Who can enter the Micro Business of the Year?
Businesses with a valid trade license in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and UAE and with a company turnover of less than 5m AED / 0.51m Bahraini Dinar / 0.42m Kuwaiti Dinar / 0.52m Omani Rial / 5.1m SAR and less than 250 employees.
Who can enter the B2B or B2C Small Business of the Year?
Businesses with a valid trade license in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and UAE and with a company turnover of more than 5m AED / 0.51m Bahraini Dinar / 0.42m Kuwaiti Dinar / 0.52m Omani Rial / 5.1m SAR and less than 5m AED / 4.1m Bahraini Dinar / 3.24m Kuwaiti Dinar / 4.19m Omani Rial / 40.85m SAR 250 employees.
Why should you enter?
The awards process from entry through to post-event coverage is your opportunity not just to join a community of like-minded professionals but to also be a part of a vital conversation. At varying stages of the awards cycle, you can expect to…
- Win more work by showcasing your innovative, high-quality products and services to our sponsors, judges and the wider community of business professionals that we access
- Publicity and brand awareness through an established PR and marketing campaign that achieves a PR value of $897,127 we ensure that GCC-based SMEs get a real boost. Finalists will be named in our Press Releases and on the night the regional media will be in attendance to interview the ultimate winners
- Network the MEED and Gulf Capital SME network is unrivalled and offers the chance to meet peers, advisors and potential investors
- Learn by participating in a community of passionate, like-minded peers and advisors, through face to face judging and the awards ceremony connect and learn from professionals who understand the challenges that regional SMEs face and can help unlock opportunity
- Celebrate all your hard work. SME owners rarely stop. This is a moment to bring teams, stakeholders and often family together to celebrate your achievements so far
- Benchmarking gain non-biased external validation and verification of your ideas and business
How can I enter?
Please register online by clicking on “SUBMIT/MANAGE YOUR ENTRIES” on the main menu bar. You can also click here to register.
Following your registration, you will be able to author entries for the relevant categories on behalf of your company. Work in progress can be saved and you can submit the entries once completed.
If you have any questions on the process or need clarification on the questions, please email us at awards@meed.com
Does my organisation need to be a customer of MEED to enter?
No. The awards will have independent judges who will evaluate entries according to the information submitted.
How do I choose the best category/ies to enter?
Please read the criteria of each category before you choose which category/ies are best suited to your achievements.
Is there a cost of entry?
No. The costs of administration and judging is covered by our partner organisations.
Who are the judges of the Gulf Capital SME Awards?
Take a look at judges from previous years and see the 2019 panel as they are recruited by clicking here
What is the judging process?
Step 1 – please complete your written entry
Step 2 – first-round judging identifies our finalists
Step 3 – finalists are invited to present in person to our judging panel
Step 4 – judges scores and the ultimate winners are independently audited by our partners Grant Thornton
Please feel free to contact us with any questions.