The Embassy of the Netherlands and the Dutch business clubs across Spain will officially open registration on 1 October 2026 for the fifth edition of the Dutch Entrepreneur & Manager Awards (NOP) in Spain. All Dutch entrepreneurs, early-stage entrepreneurs and managers based in Spain are invited to seize this opportunity and submit their business or achievements for consideration.
Strategic business assessment and growth opportunities
The NOP process is designed as an in-depth business assessment. Through focused interviews, an experienced professional jury encourages participating entrepreneurs and managers to examine their activities from an outside perspective, helping them refine their strategy and identify growth opportunities in the Spanish market. In addition to extensive visibility within the Dutch-Spanish network and direct connections with the embassy and business clubs, all accepted participants receive free access to an exclusive masterclass on strategic growth and scaling up, delivered by EY.
Three main categories
Any Dutch entrepreneur or manager based in Spain can be considered for an award, regardless of the size of their business. Awards are presented in three categories:
Entrepreneur of the Year: for entrepreneurs with an established business who have been operating in Spain for at least three years.
New Entrepreneur of the Year: for entrepreneurs who have been operating in Spain for between one and three years.
Manager of the Year: for Dutch managers in salaried employment who hold responsibility, including ultimate responsibility, for a company, division or department.
Special Awards will also be presented to candidates who have demonstrated outstanding achievements against specific criteria.
The new winners will follow in the footsteps of the 2024 winners: Arjan Heeres (Decide Soluciones), Jelle de Jong (MAD Artes Digitales) and Sybrand Sijbertsma (Zafiro Mallorca).
Professional jury and awards ceremony
Entries will be assessed by a nationwide professional jury chaired by Margriet H. van Dorp MBT (Nederlandstalige Business Club Costa Blanca), alongside Erik Vermeulen (Dutch Business Club Madrid), Harry van Heugten (Zakenkring Valencia), Inge Kormelink (Dutch Business Club Madrid) and Annebeth Vis (De Kring Barcelona).
The winners will be announced and the awards presented at the Nationale Business Meeting (NBM) in Barcelona on 21 May 2027.
The Dutch Entrepreneur Award in Spain is made possible with the support of partners EY and Lladró.
More information is available at:
https://nbmspanje.com/home/ondernemersprijs/
Want to learn about previous candidates’ experiences? Read the article here, published this autumn in ESpecial Life Magazine.
