Rural Entrepreneur of the Year Awards presented

Last night, the first Rural Entrepreneurs' Night powered by Volkswagen was held at the Eiffel Workshop in Budapest, where the Rural Entrepreneur of the Year Awards were presented. The event is a real highlight among Hungarian business awards, as this is the first time in Hungary that awards have been given exclusively to rural micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

According to the press release, the initiative attracted extraordinary interest in its first year: nearly 300 applications were received from 136 businesses in 110 towns and villages across the country. These figures prove that there is a real social and economic need to recognize and raise the profile of rural businesses.

OPTEN company information data show that two-thirds of domestic companies operate in rural areas, one-third of those working in the competitive sector are employed by rural SMEs, and the total turnover of rural companies is twice that of those in Budapest. The vast majority of rural businesses— 86% — are micro-enterprises that create local jobs and strengthen the local economy in the long term.

AS Ida Petrik, the originator of the Rural Entrepreneurs' Night and founding executive of the Modern & Stylish Rural Business Community (MSVK), said, "we believe that the real strength of the Hungarian economy lies in rural businesses. When we launched the call for entries for the Rural Entrepreneur of the Year awards, our goal was to put the spotlight on SMEs operating in rural areas. The interest exceeded all my dreams, and I am particularly pleased that after the announcement, the whole country got involved and so many people joined in, supported us, and wanted to help. This also shows that the future of rural areas is our common cause and that together we can achieve more."