• Cash prizes of £300,000 will support the best young UK start-up founders on their growth journey to encourage job creation for the UK economy.
  • This year’s winners are a varied mix of sectors—from the car industry, marketing and communications to Scotch whisky.
  • A total of 61 applications were received from UK start-ups, each with a minimum revenue of £500k

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has announced the winners of the 2026 Young Entrepreneurs’ Awards run through his UK-registered charity, the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation. This year the winners represent three completely different sectors.

  • Daniel Owen scoops the top prize of £150,000 to support the growth of his company The Car Contact, a car-buying website simplifying vehicle sales. https://thecarcontact.com/
  • Jess Hickman is named runner-up and takes £100,000 for her full-service marketing agency, The Cusp. https://the-cusp.com/
  • Adam Harding and Carl Johnstone and take third prize for their luxury private label Scotch whisky business, Tailored Spirits. https://www.tailoredspirits.co.uk/

The top prizes, totalling £300,000, were announced in London and follow on from the success of last year’s awards and Sir Stelios’s other UK awards for disabled entrepreneurs (run in partnership with Leonard Cheshire, the disability charity).

The 2026 UK Young Entrepreneur Awards saw 61 UK-based businesses apply, with a shortlist of entrants facing a grilling from Sir Stelios over several key criteria. He chose winners who he and the Foundation felt could ensure the money would be best used to create jobs in the UK and provide a multiplier effect.

The awards aim to recognise outstanding young start-up entrepreneurs while supporting their transition into higher-growth businesses. The awards bring them well-deserved recognition on their journey to scaling up into a successful growth business with job creation in the UK.

Winners were also chosen because Sir Stelios believes each entrepreneur can be a role model for young people who are dreaming of starting their own businesses and be their own boss rather than working for others.

Find out more about the winners here: https://stelios.foundation/news/sir-stelios-names-winners-of-the-stelios-foundation-uk-young-entrepreneur-awards-2026/