TORONTO, ONTARIO — (Marketwired) — 03/23/15 — The is back, shining a spotlight on Canada–s brightest entrepreneurs and the challenges they face. The annual contest is an opportunity for Canadian small business owners to showcase their unique business ideas to a nationwide audience and get help overcoming the barriers standing in their way.
Now in its fifth year, the challenge is a partnership between The Globe and Mail and TELUS that attracts more than 1,000 entries annually from small businesses across Canada. Contest finalists will receive cash, mentoring, technology and marketing services to help them overcome their biggest challenges, while the winner will walk away with a $100,000 grand prize from TELUS.
“Small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy. TELUS is committed to helping them succeed,” said Suzanne Trusdale, vice-president of Small Business Solutions at TELUS. “For the past five years, the Small Business Challenge has helped innovative Canadian companies overcome their challenges and reach extraordinary heights. By partnering with The Globe and Mail, we–re able to shine a spotlight on deserving small businesses and bolster the entrepreneurial spirit in Canada.”
In , Vancouver Island Salt Co. took home the $100,000 award with its environmentally friendly plans to take Canadian artisan sea salt global.
“The $100,000 award has enabled us to double our production and the publicity we received from the contest helped us expand our Canadian market and secure a U.S. distributor – we–re on track to double our sales in 2015,” said Vancouver Island Salt Co.–s founder Andrew Shepherd. “This year we plan to double our production again and push aggressively towards making sustainable Canadian sea salt available around the world.”
“The Small Business Challenge contest is my favourite time of the year,” said Katherine Scarrow, the editor of The Globe and Mail –s Report on Small Business. “Not only do we get to showcase Canada–s top entrepreneurs through editorial coverage, but we–re also able to provide them with the funding they need to achieve their goals.”
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the contest, TELUS is adding more than $50,000 in new prizes. In addition to $100,000 for the ultimate winner, three new major awards have been added:
From now until June 1, small businesses are invited to submit their biggest business challenge and explain how they would use $100,000 to help them overcome it. Five shortlisted semi-finalists will pitch to a panel of successful entrepreneurs and small business experts in Toronto on June 25 and the winner will be announced on September 17. Following this, the Most Promising Start-Ups will be announced on September 23, and 10 regional awards will be given out during Small Business Month in October.
For full contest details and to enter, please visit .
Contest Rules
To enter the contest, business owners with fewer than 100 employees are asked to describe the following in a 630-word submission:
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T)(NYSE: TU) is Canada–s fastest-growing national telecommunications company, with $12 billion of annual revenue and 13.7 million customer connections, including 8.1 million wireless subscribers, 3.2 million wireline network access lines, 1.5 million Internet subscribers and 916,000 TELUS TV customers. TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services, including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video, and is Canada–s largest healthcare IT provider.
In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $396 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered and more than 6 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Created in 2005 by Executive Chairman Darren Entwistle, TELUS– 11 community boards across Canada have led the company–s support of grassroots charities and will have contributed $47 million in support of 3,700 local charities organizations by the end of 2014, enriching the lives of more than two million Canadian children and youth. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.
For more information about TELUS, please visit .
About The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail, through its newspaper, magazine, online and mobile platforms, is Canada–s foremost news media company. Each day, The Globe leads the national discussion by engaging Canadians in its award-winning coverage and analysis of news, politics, business and lifestyle. The Globe and Mail, Canada–s national newspaper, founded in 1844, Report on Business, Canada–s most influential business magazine, and globeandmail.com, the newspaper–s online and mobile media hub, reach a combined 6.6 million readers every month. The Globe has received numerous journalism awards, including the international 2011 prize for General Excellence in Journalism from the Online News Associations, nine Michener Awards for Public Service Journalism, and more National Newspaper Awards than any other newspaper in Canada. The Globe and Mail is 85% owned by Woodbridge, the investment arm of the Thomson family, and Bell Canada (15%).
Contacts:
Ryan Bazeley
TELUS Media Relations
416-738-6063
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