The start of the competition Small Business Grant Grant for small businesses in Europe, announced the FedEx Express , a subsidiary of FedEx . As part of the competition, cash prizes totalling approximately €250,000 will be awarded to European small businesses . The cash prizes will help them to grow and achieve their next goals. For the first time, the competition will be held at a single pan-European level. It is aimed at small businesses based in 16 different countries.

Small for-profit enterprises with up to 50 employees in the following European countries can take part in the competition: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

Small Business Grant - The awards

15 candidates will be selected for the final phase, who will compete for the grand prize (€50,000) or for one of the three judges' selection prizes: Digital Excellence, Innovation Mastermind and Sustainability Champion (€15,000 each). In addition to the finalists competing for one of the four jury awards, companies that do not qualify for the final phase will take part in the public voting phase, where they will compete for the public choice award in their country. This means that There will be 15 additional winners who will receive €10,000 each.

"Running a small business is difficult even in the best of times, but in the last 18 months small and medium-sized enterprises have really had to try hard to adapt to the new conditions and survive," said Helena Jansson, SVP Finance International, FedEx Express, and a member of the competition's jury. "Through the Small Business Grant, we want to support small businesses and help them realize their dreams and write the new chapter of their history."

Dates and conditions

Companies do not need to be currently customers or have an active shipping account with FedEx Express. The registration period for the competition will run from 15 September to 20 October 2021.The 15 candidates for the final phase will be announced on 17 November 2021 and public voting for the public choice awards will begin. All winners will be announced on 26 January 2022.

After being held for the first time in the U.S. in 2012, FedEx's Small Business Grant competition continues to expand every year around the world. In Europe, the competition was first held in 2016 in three countries, which became five in 2019. Now, for the first time, 16 countries across Europe will take part. The aim is to give more opportunities to small businesses that are passionately committed to their goals and innovate.