SUMMERSIDE – September 15, 2026 – Still seeking to attract a greater number of applications than usual for its Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards Competition, the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of Prince Edward Island (CCAFLIPE) has further simplified its nomination procedure for its awards. It has also expanded its category for the Remarkable Young Entrepreneur Award 2026, while adding a monetary reward of 1,000 $, on the occasion of its 25th.e Entrepreneurs' Gala.
It was during the morning of the Annual General Meeting of the Chamber and its parent organization, RDÉE Prince Edward Island, on September 15 in Summerside, that the spokesperson for CCAFLIPE, Janine Arsenault, launched the competition as well as the invitation for people to submit nominations.
«Our businesses accomplish so many great things that deserve to be highlighted at our Gala, so we give you the chance to nominate them to congratulate and thank them for all they do, not only for you, their employees, and their clients, but also for our community,» she specified. «If your business is doing great work, you don’t have to wait for someone else to nominate you! You can nominate yourself. Or you can ask your husband or wife, your children, your employees, your neighbors, or your clients to nominate you.»
She indicated that people have plenty of time, two months – until November 13 at noon – to submit their nominations. They just need to provide their own contact information and the contact information of the nominated person, business, or organization and answer two questions: their accomplishments and the reasons why he or she deserves an award. People have the choice to respond in French or in English and to use the questionnaire in paper format or in electronic format (downloaded and submitted by email) or they can answer the questionnaire directly on the website at. https://tinyurl.com/55hfw4uz.
And, again to encourage the submission of nominations, «we will hold a draw among all those who have submitted a nomination for a prize of 100 $ or a pair of tickets to the Gala, whether your nomination is selected or not.»
THE AWARD CATEGORIES
All categories specifically focus on sustainable development. This year, CCAFLIPE has made major changes to the first category «which we consider the most important as it targets entrepreneurial succession,» the spokesperson indicated.
Here are the categories:
- The Remarkable Young Entrepreneur Award 2027 is now for individuals aged 15 to 35 (rather than 30 years), as of March 21, 2027, who have demonstrated their entrepreneurial initiative in a significant way (including in innovation or sustainable development), especially over the past year. This award will now be accompanied by a reward investment of 1,000 $. «We really hope there will be competition for this award, especially because there are so many new and young Francophone and bilingual entrepreneurs already making their mark in our communities,» noted Ms. Arsenault.
- The Social Economy Enterprise Award 2027 is for a business, cooperative, or organization that must have a certain economic vocation and has distinguished itself through its achievements and successes, including its impact on its community, especially over the past year.
- The Distinguished Employee Award 2027 is for an employee of a business, cooperative, or organization, who has distinguished themselves by the quality of their customer service or by their achievements or leadership in the business world, especially over the past year.
- The Excellence Enterprise Award 2027 is for a business that has particularly distinguished itself and has demonstrated excellence, especially over the past year, in sustainable development, innovation, quality of services, job creation, or impact on its community.
- The Acadian and Francophone Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame Award 2027 is for individuals with at least 25 years of entrepreneurial or business experience as this award aims to honor an entrepreneur or business person who has distinguished themselves through their efforts and achievements throughout their career. The person may still be working, retired, or deceased.
The Chamber will announce the names of the finalists for the first four categories during its P’tite fête des Fêtes 2026 on December 4 at the Centre Belle-Alliance in Summerside. Additionally, the name of the person or persons who will be inducted into the Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame will be revealed. All awards will be presented at the 25th Gala des entrepreneurs on March 20 at the Village musical acadien in Abram-Village.
SPONSORS WANTED
«It is thanks to the support of our sponsors that we can continue to organize this beautiful event. We therefore invite you to become a sponsor. Those who offer sponsorships of 2,000 $ or more will be called Platinum level sponsors. Those of 1,000 $ or more will be named Gold level sponsors and those of 500 $ or more will be Silver level sponsors. Each level comes with a series of promotional rewards,» she explained. Those wishing to become sponsors or wanting to learn more are asked to contact the coordinator Alecia Arsenault at alecia@rdeeipe.org before the end of the calendar year.
«We know there are still a huge number of excellent candidates in your families, in your neighborhoods, and in your communities, so please do not hesitate to submit a nomination, especially in this 25th anniversary. And once again, we also encourage businesses to submit their own nominations; that’s how it works in all other chambers of commerce. We are completely relying on you to provide us with nominations by noon on Friday, November 13.»
«It’s very simple: if there are no nominations, there is no Gala. So thank you for ensuring the continuity of our Gala – our biggest and most beautiful evening of entrepreneurial recognition of the year,» concluded Ms. Arsenault.