2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA). In this new feature, we catch up with former EEPA honourees who’ve gone on to do great things since winning the award.

This week, Agnes Vida from the award-winning Gazdagmami Kft in Hungary reflects on the impact of winning the Grand Jury Prize two years on…

Agnes Vida, Gazdagmami Kft

What was it like to win the award?

It was a fantastic feeling. When I started this project, not many people believed that a one-person small business in Hungary could achieve the kind of change that my company has achieved.

How did winning the award immediately impact your work?

We received a lots of press coverage in Hungary and in other European countries. The major Hungarian magazines and television shows started to cover our activities, so more and more people are looking to us.

What response did you receive from your colleagues and peers?

We’ve had many congratulations and acknowledgments. But what I’m most proud of is that a lot of our old customers who have started their own businesses with our help also thanked us.

What has been the long-term impact?

The number of participants in our free monthly presentations has doubled and all of our courses are running to full houses. Previously, people were sceptical about starting their own business, but now they’re more open to the topic, and trust us more. We have more connections in Hungary and throughout Europe, and are working on more new projects with other organisations.

Why did you decide to enter the national competition?

I wanted to showcase our project and results at a national level.

How did you go about preparing your application and making it award winning?

I collated all our activities and achievements from the past few years.

What advice would you give to others thinking of entering?

It’s a great experience to participate in such a contest that is measured at both the national and European level. I loved the atmosphere of the event in Naples and the presentations were very helpful. But I also wish to point out that another great aspect of the competition is that the ideas of all entrants are shared in a common database, where they can help the work of organisations in other countries through the sharing of good practice. If you complete the application form and share your ideas and the results of work, you help others to promote enterprise.

To find out more about Gazdagmami, visit the website or see the video.

2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA). In this new feature, we catch up with former EEPA honourees who’ve gone on to do great things since winning the award.

This week, Kadri Ugand from the award-winning GameFounders reflects on the impact of winning an EEPA one year on….

Kadri Ugand, GameFounders

What was it like to win the award?

We were familiar with some of the projects that were nominated and know the hard working teams behind them. It was an honour just to be on the list, but to win makes us very proud to be noticed.

How did winning the award immediately impact your work?

When we won the award, we were in the middle of our applications process and the media coverage gave us a nice boost resulting in some interest from around Europe.

What response did you receive from your colleagues and peers?

GameFounders is really a group effort. We have mentors and partners from all over the world who power the program, and the international games media and events industry were really rooting for our team. The game industry doesn’t win a lot of these awards, so everyone was extremely happy that our joint efforts were recognised.

What advice would you give to others thinking of entering?

Being recognised at the European level can really boost your operations and result in new partnerships. I would highly recommend taking this opportunity to enter!

GameFounders Asia launch, June 2015

To find out more about GameFounders, visit the website at gamefounders.com.