The Bahrain Award For Entrepreneurship The first ever Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship held in March 2015 recognized notable enterprises from the Kingdom.

The first ever Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship (BAE), staged under the patronage of HRH Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), was held at the ART Rotana Hotel in Amwaj, Bahrain, on March 11, 2015.

Launched in partnership with Tamkeen, EDB, Bahrain Development Bank (BDB), and knowledge advisors Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization Investment & Technology Promotion Office (UNIDO-AICEI), and the Bahrain Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC), the award winners went through technical qualification rounds, and were ultimately chosen by the judges with the exception of the People's Choice category.

A regional representative of EY acted as a knowledge advisor for the inaugural event, and judges from across the MENA region included HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Talal Al Zain, Ahmed Nassef, Badr Jafar, Habib Haddad, Nina Curley, Rama Chakaki, Rosemary Tan, Tony Bury, and Hala Fadhel. Six award winners were selected from 100 nomination applications, and will be awarded with a variety of business opportunities to scale and develop their respective enterprises. The seventh winner was selected via People's Choice.

BAE prizes include growth development programs and planning, startup funding, coaching, office space in business incubators and accelerators, as well as training and certification. The awards, presented by Sheikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa, Chairman and Acting Chief Executive of Tamkeen, are one aspect of a multi-organizational effort to strengthen and recognize the Kingdom's enterprise leaders, and create more awareness to the bevy of support programs and networks available to the nation's entrepreneurs.

MICRO-ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR
Namaste

STARTUP OF THE YEAR
Obai & Hill

SME ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR
Creative Style

LARGE SCALE ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR
Abdulla Ahmed Nass & Sons Co. (NASS)

SME & LARGE SCALE ENTERPRISE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS AWARD
BMMI

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
Almoayyed Contracting Group

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Hussain Ali Yateem