EO Bangladesh opens applications for 11th Global Student Entrepreneur Awards

Entrepreneurs’ Organization Bangladesh, known as EO Bangladesh, a global peer-to-peer network of entrepreneurs, has opened applications for the 11th Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) in Bangladesh.

Applications will close on November 7, 2026, according to a press release.

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Azra Salim, managing director of Shombhob Health Ltd and president of EO Bangladesh, announced the launch at a press conference held recently at Renaissance Dhaka Gulshan Hotel.

GSEA is not a business plan competition. It is open only to students who are already running businesses with customers and revenue while pursuing a full course load, she said.

The programme provides student entrepreneurs with an opportunity to pitch their businesses to judges who run companies, with exposure to national media and Bangladesh’s business community.

The national champion will represent Bangladesh at the GSEA regional final for South Asia. Those who advance will compete at the GSEA Global Finals, where the cash prize package totals $100,000 across three places, including $50,000 for the winner.

In Bangladesh, the national champion will receive Tk 5 lakh, structured support, media visibility and access to the EO network.

Last season, 58 students applied, with Md Rezwanul Islam Shuvo of Khulna University, founder of Eco Sentinels Bangladesh, emerging as the champion.

The 10th edition was also televised, with four episodes produced by Bongo BD and aired on Ekushey Television in January and February 2026.

Campus visits will continue through September and October, followed by the semi-finals in November and the national grand finale in January 2027.

Mohammed Tarequzzaman, managing director of Indesore Sweater Ltd, and Tahmina Afrose Tanna, director of Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC, are co-chairs of the 2026-27 GSEA Bangladesh committee.

Among others, Kimberly Hannah Kazi, director of Kazi Resort and chair of GSEA Bangladesh; Mostafa Quamrus Sobhan, managing director of Dragon Group and former chair of GSEA Bangladesh; and Tanazzul Ayman Purny, chairman of Spark Infrastructure Ltd and former co-chair of GSEA Bangladesh, were also present.