【Applications Closed】The 14th Women Entrepreneur Awards
Organizer: Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs
Executor: The Sun Yat-sen Management Education Foundation
I. Purpose
To select outstanding female entrepreneurial role models in Taiwan with excellent business performance and leadership abilities, the Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs is organizing the 14th Women Entrepreneur Awards. This award recognizes female entrepreneurs for their entrepreneurial journey, operational performance, and social impact, affirming the contribution of the winning enterprises to the economy and trade, and embodying the spirit of female entrepreneurship, while encouraging more Taiwanese women to engage in entrepreneurial activities.
II. Eligibility and Qualifications
1. Target Applicants: Female-led enterprises with innovative products, services, or business models, and possessing significant influence.
2. Eligibility Criteria
• The applicant enterprise must be a domestic company established in accordance with the Company Act and meet the standards for small and medium-sized enterprises.• The representative of the applicant enterprise must be a female citizen of the Republic of China and serve as the company's responsible person, (co-)founder, or director with substantial management and decision-making power.
• The applicant representative must not be a supervisor of the applicant enterprise.
• The applicant enterprise should be of a certain scale, in sound financial condition, and meet the following conditions:
(1) Paid-in capital of NT$30 million by May 2025, or operating revenue of NT$50 million in 2024.
(2) Profitable for two years between 2022 and 2024, with no accumulated losses as of the end of 2024.
(3) The enterprise is a labor insurance unit, with an average of 10 or more insured employees in the past year (from 2024 to March 2025).
• Neither the applicant enterprise nor its representative has previously won the Women Entrepreneur Awards from the Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs.
• If the applicant representative is involved in multiple businesses, they should choose one primary business to apply with and briefly list the affiliated enterprises for reference.
• Each applicant enterprise may nominate a maximum of one female representative and can only apply for a single category.
III. Award Categories
The selection criteria are not industry-specific. Enterprises should choose one category to apply for based on the eligibility requirements.
Enterprises with outstanding operational performance in their industry. The applicant representative is the primary leader, actively involved in management, and leading the enterprise towards sustainable development.
The applicant representative is the successor of the enterprise, actively involved in management, and leading the transformation and sustainable development of the enterprise.
IV. Selection Method
The selection will be conducted separately for the Business Excellence Category and the Succession & Transformation Category. The selection committee will, in principle, select 5 winning enterprises from each category. However, the actual number of winners in each category will be decided by the selection committee, and awards may be left vacant if necessary.
V. Application Information
1. Application Period
From Wednesday, April 2, 2025, to Friday, May 30, 2025
2. Application Method
Online application is required. The online application system will be open from April 2, 2025, to 23:59 on May 30, 2025 (based on the online system time).
Application Website:https://competition.sysme.org.tw/
Online Application: Please fill in the basic information on the application webpage and submit it. Download the brochure (including the application documents) https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1j45pQ880ld3L58Enk1GmYMDaE22JDEJd
Submit Documents: Send the complete electronic application documents to [email protected] within the application period.
3. Required Application Documents
Company registration certificate, factory registration, or other proof of legal establishment in Taiwan
Business Plan: Please follow the format of [Appendix 1 - Business Plan], including the following content with key points explained. The recommended total length is within 20 pages, with a font size of 14.
Financial Statements: Please provide the 2024 financial statements audited by a certified public accountant, and the corporate income tax returns for 2022-2024 (including balance sheet, income statement, and tax calculation statement).
Supporting documents for the number of insured employees from 2024 to March 2025.
Affidavit of the applicant enterprise and representative, notification of personal data collection and consent form for personal data provision, and a copy of the representative's identification. Please refer to the formats in [Appendix 2 - Affidavit of Applicant Enterprise and Representative] to [Appendix 3 - Notification of Personal Data Collection and Consent Form for Personal Data Provision].
※ Business Plan Content:
| Item | Business Excellence Category | Succession & Transformation Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Company Strengths | Company scale, background, organizational structure, market competitive advantages (including market positioning and competitive analysis, key customers or technologies, core competencies, supporting evidence of advantages, etc.) | Company scale, background, organizational structure, market competitive advantages (including market positioning and competitive analysis, key customers or technologies, core competencies, supporting evidence of advantages, etc.) |
| 2. Overall Business Planning / Transformation Planning and Effectiveness | Short, medium, and long-term planning (including market expansion plans, product R&D and innovation, human resource utilization, etc.), feasibility of enterprise innovation | Short, medium, and long-term planning (including market expansion plans, product R&D and innovation, human resource utilization, etc.), specific actions and achievements in leading enterprise transformation and innovation |
| 3. Financial Indicators | Operating results (including revenue, gross profit, net profit, and financial structure, supported by tax returns or financial statements), financial planning (including financing plans), and risk assessment | Operating results (including revenue, gross profit, net profit, and financial structure, supported by tax returns or financial statements), financial planning (including financing plans), and risk assessment |
| 4. Female Leadership | Leadership style, business philosophy, and management characteristics of the applicant representative (performance in actual management of departments and their management capabilities), entrepreneur and entrepreneurial journey, etc. | Leadership style, business philosophy, and management characteristics of the applicant representative (performance in actual management of departments and their management capabilities), entrepreneur and entrepreneurial journey, etc. |
| 5. Sustainable Development | The company's actual participation in environmental protection, social responsibility, and corporate governance, including corporate sustainability strategy planning, promotion of labor rights, progress towards net-zero carbon emissions, and fair and transparent corporate governance. | The company's actual participation in environmental protection, social responsibility, and corporate governance, including corporate sustainability strategy planning, promotion of labor rights, progress towards net-zero carbon emissions, and fair and transparent corporate governance. |
| 6. Internationalization | The company's international expansion capabilities—export ratio, overseas locations; the team's international connectivity—the management team's communication and connection with foreign countries. | The company's international expansion capabilities—export ratio, overseas locations; the team's international connectivity—the management team's communication and connection with foreign countries. |
※The above documents should be arranged in order (company registration certificate, business plan, financial statements, supporting documents for the number of insured employees, affidavit, personal data provision consent form, and a copy of identification), combined into one PDF file, and clearly named (Company Name - Women Entrepreneur Awards Application Documents).
4. More Information
Information about this award is also available on the official website of the Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Women Entrepreneurship Program website, the SME E-learning Campus, and the Startup Taiwan website. Female entrepreneurs are encouraged to apply.
VI. Selection Process
1. Selection Flow
(1) Qualification Review: The executing unit will review the basic information based on the eligibility criteria and required documents. If there are any missing documents or if the qualifications are not met, the applicant will be notified to complete the submission or provide additional information within a specified period.
(2) Document Review: The selection committee will conduct a document review based on the evaluation criteria—company strengths, financial indicators, female leadership, etc.—and hold a consensus meeting to decide on a maximum of 15 enterprises per category to advance to the final review (on-site review). The actual number of selected enterprises in each category will be determined by the selection committee.
(1) On-site Review: The selection committee will conduct on-site visits to the enterprises. The applicant representative will give a presentation and a company tour, and respond to questions from the selection committee. The committee will score based on the evaluation criteria, and in accordance with the principle of fairness, the applicant representative must be present in person.
(2) Consensus Meeting: The selection committee will decide on the winning enterprises based on the on-site review scores and the application documents.
| Evaluation Criteria | Evaluation Item | Business Excellence Category | Succession & Transformation Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Company Strengths | Company scale, background, organizational structure, market competitive advantages (including market positioning and competitive analysis, key customers or technologies, core competencies, supporting evidence of advantages, etc.) | 20% | 15% |
| 2a. Overall Business Planning | Short, medium, and long-term planning (including market expansion plans, product R&D and innovation, human resource utilization, etc.), feasibility of enterprise innovation | 15% | — |
| 2b. Transformation Planning and Effectiveness | Short, medium, and long-term planning (including market expansion plans, product R&D and innovation, human resource utilization, etc.), specific actions and achievements in leading enterprise transformation and innovation | — | 20% |
| 3. Financial Indicators | Operating results (including operating revenue, gross profit, net profit, and financial structure, supported by tax returns or financial statements), financial planning (including financing plans), and risk assessment | 25% | 25% |
| 4. Female Leadership | Leadership style, business philosophy, and management characteristics of the applicant representative (performance in actual management and decision-making), entrepreneurial journey, etc. | 20% | 20% |
| 5. Sustainable Development | The company's actual participation in environmental protection, social responsibility, and corporate governance, including corporate sustainability strategy planning, promotion of labor rights, progress towards net-zero carbon emissions, and fair and transparent corporate governance. | 10% | 10% |
| 6. Internationalization | The company's international expansion capabilities—export ratio, overseas locations; the team's international connectivity—the management team's communication and connection with foreign countries. | 10% | 10% |
| Phase | Evaluation Item and Content | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Selection | Preliminary Review (Qualification Review, Document Review) | June - July |
| Final Review (On-site Review, Consensus Meeting) | August - September | |
| Announcement of Winners | October | |
| Awards Ceremony | Late October |
※The above dates are tentative and subject to change based on the actual selection schedule.
2. Announcement of Winners
After the selection is completed and approved by the organizing authority, the list of winners will be announced on the Women Entrepreneurship Program website.
3. The organizer reserves the right of final modification, change, and interpretation.
VII. Rights and Obligations of Applicant Enterprises
- Applicant enterprises shall cooperate with the arrangements of the organizer for the selection and award ceremony.
- The applicant enterprise and its representative shall sign an affidavit, stating that the information provided is true. If there are any legal disputes, they must be disclosed. Violators will be disqualified upon verification.
- The organizer and the executing unit may require the applicant representative to provide relevant credit certificates as needed for the review.
- The winning enterprises will be publicly commended and awarded a trophy and a certificate.
- Winning enterprises must comply with the organizer's regulations and shall not disclose any related information before the official announcement of the winners.
- Winning enterprises are obliged to cooperate with subsequent follow-ups, participate in the program's activities, and assist in the collection and compilation of related promotional materials.
- Winning enterprises may participate in in-depth mentoring sessions with industry experts, receive assistance in matchmaking for funding, strengthen international connections, and participate in international competitions.
- Winning enterprises will become members of the Women Entrepreneur Awards Alumni Association and can participate in related activities.
- Winning enterprises must provide application materials in good faith. If the information is found to be false, concealed, or if a dispute arises that affects the public image and the reputation of this award, the organizer may revoke their award and recall the trophy and certificate.
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VIII. Links and Appendices
1. Related Links
Women Entrepreneur Awards Application Link:
https://competition.sysme.org.tw/
Women Entrepreneur Awards Program Details:
https://www.sme.gov.tw/women/article-women-3264-17578
Women Entrepreneur Awards Media Coverage:
https://www.businessweekly.com.tw/event/site/ESG/?id=2054
2. Related Appendices
Women Entrepreneur Awards Brochure:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TNoKZPjn-6NPUqNWRloiNnnwzK3448Jo/view
Appendix 1 - Business Plan:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/141ZyuWtSI5qzKkEi7hSAr72s3g9ndbjv/view
Appendix 2 - Affidavit of Applicant Enterprise and Representative:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ddpI5XIqAsWF4AS_CVGQAA1XSRtbL-Po/view
Appendix 3 - Notification of Personal Data Collection and Consent Form for Personal Data Provision:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PLgIJI8_FDG1aw9RGGR7tgtuR4jN2q5y/view
IX. Contact Information
Women Entrepreneurship Program Executive Team
Phone: (07)332-1068 #21 Ms. Kuo, #22 Ms. Ying
Fax: (07)332-3129
Email: [email protected]
Women Entrepreneurship Program Website:
https://www.sme.gov.tw/women/
Women Entrepreneurship Program Facebook Fan Page:
https://www.facebook.com/sysmewoman/
Women Entrepreneurship Program Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/women_entrepreneurship_program/
