At a hybrid awards ceremony, at the Stelios Foundation’s London HQ, this year’s winners of the Stelios Awards for Young Entrepreneurs in the UK were honoured by Sir Stelios.
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has announced the winners of the 2026 Young Entrepreneurs’ Awards run through his UK-registered charity, the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation. This year the winners represent three completely different sectors.
- Daniel Owen scoops the top prize of £150,000 to support the growth of his company The Car Contact, a car-buying website simplifying vehicle sales. https://thecarcontact.com/
- Jess Hickman is named runner-up and takes £100,000 for her full-service marketing agency, The Cusp. https://the-cusp.com/
- Adam Harding and Carl Johnstone and take third prize for their luxury private label Scotch whisky business, Tailored Spirits. https://www.tailoredspirits.co.uk/
Entry criteria for this year’s awards;
Each applicant for the awards had to meet the following criteria:
- aged 34 or under, born in 1992 or later;
- Running a start-up company registered at Companies House (UK) in the last 5 years (registered in 2021 or later);
- In current ownership of more than 50% of the shares of the company and be a director of the company;
- Revised minimum revenue of £500,000 per annum in audited accounts filed at Companies House;
- This threshold has been increased from the £200,000 in previous years due to the high popularity and success of these awards – last year 180 applications were received.
There are three cash prizes for the winners totalling £300,000 that must be invested in the business to further its growth and success. For the avoidance of doubt: these are cash grants to be paid by the Stelios Foundation to the business accounts of the three winners without any other conditions. They are prizes and not an investment in return for shares nor a loan.
