The deadline for submitting nominations for the  EY 2017 Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards is March 10.

Now in its 31st year, Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The initiative is part of EY’s work in identifying and supporting business leaders who demonstrate extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment.

Entrepreneurs from 25 regions compete across the U.S. Missouri and Kansas entrepreneurs compete in the Central Midwest program.

Information is available at www.ey.com/us/eoy. For information on the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in Central Midwest please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy/cm.

 Awards Criteria & Judging Process

Entrepreneurs eligible for consideration include not only company founders, but also leaders of multi-generation family businesses and transformational public and private company CEOs. The nominee’s company must be at least two years old. Self-nominations are encouraged, and there is no fee.

Award winners are selected in a number of industry categories by a panel of independent regional judges, including previous winners of the award, leading CEOs and private capital investors and other regional business leaders.