WCIC launces re-conceptualized entrepreneur awards for 2022

From Left: DFCC Bank PLC Vice President Head of Pinnacle/Branch Banking Planning and Implementation Shera Hassen, WCIC Past Chairperson Indrani Fernando, WCIC Chairperson Anoji de Silva, WCIC Vice Chairperson and WCIC Women Entrepreneur Awards 2022 Co-Chairman, Ramani Ponnambalam, WCIC Board Member and WCIC Women Entrepreneur Awards 2022 Co-Chairman Tusitha Kumarakulasingam 
Pic by Pradeep Dilruckshana

The Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC) recently launched the 2022 edition of its flagship awards, and this year a renewed concept will be rolled out.
The women’s entrepreneur awards by WCIC has been reconceptualized and will be carried out under the banner ‘WCIC Prathibhabisheka’.

The 2022 edition will see the awards open to women across all provinces, and later to the SAARC region as well. The event is scheduled to be held in January 2023. 
Powered by DFCC Aloka, the WCIC Prathibhabisheka is restructured to assess the businesses in a holistic manner, the WCIC said at the launch event held recently 
in Colombo. 

“We invite outstanding women entrepreneurs, especially the ones who have braved the challenges in the past years to share their story of resilience and achievements to compete for the coveted - WCIC Prathibhabisheka.
The Awards will honor women entrepreneurs for their tenacity to scale and grow, and for their contribution and impact on the economy,” said WCIC Chairperson Anoji De Silva.
She said what makes the 2022 edition different from those held earlier is that the application filing itself will serve as a mentoring process where applicants would be pushed to think of their business and the opportunities from a different lens.

Applications for WCIC Prathibhabisheka will be accepted under the categories; Start-up, Micro, Small, Medium, and Large. Each category will have a specified revenue for the year under review – 2021/22. 
Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards will be presented for each category. 

With the view to identify and promote regional women entrepreneurs, the WCIC said it encourages applications from all the provinces in the country and will select the ‘Best of the Region’ from each province. 
The 2022 edition will also feature special awards: Young Woman Entrepreneur, Outstanding Start-up, Most Positively Abled Woman Entrepreneur, The Most Outstanding Export Oriented Entrepreneur, and The Best of the SAARC Region. 
The ceremony will culminate with the selection of the ‘Women Entrepreneur of the year -2022’.