Contest Categories

The candidate must be principally or directly responsible for an initiative(s), project(s) or business(es) in the techno-creative sector (this terms groups businesses that specialize in new digital technologies and/or creative multimedia). The initiative must have a character that is innovative, unexpected, imaginative, visionary and have a strong potential for development, outreach and economic fallouts for Québec. The candidate must be the founder or must work for an Enterprise or an Organisation with a business address located in Quebec.

The candidate must work by themselves, either directly or through an Enterprise of which they are the sole shareholder or shareholder with Related persons, at least one year prior to the Reference date. They must conduct business with one or more Enterprises or Organizations. They must not have employees and must not have had employees in the course of the year prior to the Reference date.

The candidate must, for the majority of their professional activities:
practise their profession and be members in good standing of a recognized professional order governing the practice of their profession in Quebec; or
be members of a professional association supervising the practice of their profession; or
practise their profession in exchange for financial retribution specifically related to their training and skills within an Enterprise or Organisation.

The candidate must have been practising their profession for at least one (1) year prior to the Reference date.

The candidate must be chiefly or directly in charge of initiatives, projects or businesses having a positive impact on the pillars of sustainability (society, economy, and environment). The project must have been implemented before the Date of reference. The Enterprise or Organisation for which the candidate works does not have to focus on sustainability as its main vocation or mission.

The candidate must be primarily and directly responsible for initiatives beyond Quebec’s borders (rest of Canada and/or internationally) that must have been underway for at least 6 months prior to the Reference date. For example, initiatives can be: the export of goods and services, business acquisitions, the creation of a new division or the practice of their profession. The initiative must have a positive effect on Quebec’s economic development and its influence in the rest of Canada and internationally. The candidate must work for an Enterprise or an Organisation with a business address located in Quebec.

The candidate must assume a position of executive, that is to say performing tasks that include supervising personnel or managing an area of activity, within an Enterprise or an Organization and on the Reference date.

The candidate must have founded an Enterprise, must hold a voting position or exercise factual control in the Enterprise and exercise a significant influence over the operations and the strategic orientations of the Enterprise. The candidate’s Enterprise must have been in operation for at least six (6) months prior to the Reference date. The candidate’s Enterprise must show innovation and strong potential for development. Note: If the Enterprise has been in operation for more than two (2) years, the candidate can register as Young Entrepreneur: growing enterprise, if significant results were achieved.

The candidate must have founded the Enterprise, hold voting power or exercise factual control, and exercise significant influence on the Enterprise’s operations and strategic orientations. The candidate’s business must have been in operation for at least two (2) years prior to the Reference date, and show significant results in developing revenue and creating value (for example: number of employees, revenue, profit, economic fallout, positive social impact, visibility for the city and province, etc.).

The candidate must have established or must manage a non-profit Organisation, must hold a voting position or exercise factual control in the Organisation and must exercise a significant influence over the operations and the strategic orientations of the Organisation. The Organisation must operate in the cultural field and must pursue a professionally artistic mission: visual arts, cinema, video arts, digital arts, performing arts (dance, theater, circus arts), multidisciplinary arts, aboriginal arts, architecture, music and literature. The candidate's Organisation must have been in operation for at least one (1) year prior to the Reference date.