The shortlist of Irish nominees for the annual Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award was announced this morning in Dublin.
In total, 24 Irish entrepreneurs have been selected from various sectors - including as food processing, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, software and digital media - to compete for this year's title.
This year's nominees represent a broad nationwide spread, split 50-50 between those based in Dublin and those based outside of the capital.
Previous Irish winners include Mr Denis O'Brien, Ms Moya Doherty, Mr Eddie Jordan, Mr Martin McVicar and Mr Padraig O'Ceidigh.
The shortlist is decided by an independent panel of judges and comprises eight nominees for each of three categories - Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year, Industry Entrepreneur Of The Year, International Services Entrepreneur Of The Year.
The winner for each category will be announced on September 25th.
The Irish Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2003 will go forward to represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur of the Year Event in Monte Carlo next year.