THE HISTORY

THE HISTORY and the WINNERS

More than 20 years of tradition
 
The students who make it this far are pretty special. As of today, there are about 20,000 student companies in the JA-YE network and those we will see in Bucharest are the very best of them.
 
They’ve come up through the ranks at the national level. Their business idea and their strategy as a team has worked its magic past several layers of judges. There is nothing like competition to focus the mind. These 200 students will feel the heat. They’ll be far from home; on what could be one of the biggest stages they’ve ever seen. It’s an experience they will never forget.
 

In Bucharest on July 19 - 21, all of Europe will celebrate its best young entrepreneurs. A high-level panel of 10 judges will examine the contestants. They’ll evaluate their approach to communication, teamwork, problem-solving, objective-setting, planning and review, administration and financial systems, personnel management, product development, customer focus, marketing and sales, as well as financial results. How the students have developed their business skills is also assessed.
 

This competition has been tried and tested. Each element of the contest serves a particular purpose for the judges in their assessment. Moreover, the tradition of rotating the events from country to country gives each a flavour of its own. It’s a fantastic showcase as well as a meeting place for business leaders, policy makers and educators. Very few organizations offer such a diverse spectrum of stakeholders and bring them together so often. The hosts the last years:

2012 – Bucharest, Romania
2011 – Oslo, Norway
2010 – Cagliari, Italy
2009 – Rotterdam, Netherlands
2008 – Stockholm, Sweden
2007 – Berlin , Germany
2006 - Interlaken , Switzerland
2005 – Oslo, Norway
2004 – Valetta, Malta

Host members can show others what they have achieved; they can bring important recognition to their supporters as well as create interesting new fundraising opportunities; finally they take their turn to “give back” and welcome the rest of the European family to their “country” as their peers did before them. Thus the events were never seen as just a member affair, though of course they always brought with them a local flavour; instead they were seen as special moments during the year when individual members could demonstrate that they are part of a larger network.

Back to About the Competition >>