The elite of Northern Ireland’s young entrepreneurs were celebrating at the Young Enterprise Awards at Belfast City Hall on election night as they received a surprise from local music legends Snow Patrol.

Local charity, Young Enterprise with support from Ulster University Business School and EY staged its annual awards ceremony where it crowned the top businesses and individuals who have developed entrepreneurship skills this year.

Snow Patrol’s Jonny Quinn surprised students with a message from the headquarters of his own enterprise Polar Patrol Publishing.

He said “I also started my own business 5 years ago in music publishing.  I found it a lot tougher than I imagined but also really exciting to see my small idea grow into a real business.  Northern Ireland has always punched above its weight in music, the arts and in sport.  It’s your turn as young entrepreneurs to make Northern Ireland a hotbed for innovation in business.”

The award winning companies were ActiKids from Friends’ School Lisburn who created a children’s travel journal and will now represent Northern Ireland in the UK-wide Company of the Year Competition in London, and Classy Crafts from the Learning Support unit at Derry-Londonderry’s Lisneal College who sold high quality hand-crafted gifts and environmentally friendly recycled fire logs.

Emilie Vose, Glenlola Collegiate, Bangor and Charlotte Campbell, Coleraine High School, took the winner and Runner-up Entrepreneur of the Future Awards winning the once in a lifetime opportunity to represent Northern Ireland at the annual Next Generation Leaders Forum in Canada.

Team Programme:

• Young Entrepreneur: Ryan Dickson, Classy Crafts, Lisanally School
• Company of the Year: Classy Crafts, Lisanally School

Company Programme

• Creativity Award: Let’s Do Science, Thornhill College
• Retail Excellence Award: Actikids, Friends’ School Lisburn
• Journey Award: Aoidin Gormley, AirOis, Rathmore Grammar School
• Entrepreneur of the Future (Runner-Up): Charlotte Campbell, Puzzle Pages, Coleraine High School
• Entrepreneur of the Future (Winner): Emilie Vose, Addo, Glenlola Collegiate
• Company of the Year (Runner Up): Shiny Stars, Omagh Academy
• Company of the Year (Winner): Actikids, Friends’ School Lisburn

Professor Marie McHugh, Dean of Ulster Business School commented on the school’s relationship with Young Enterprise NI: “Working alongside Young Enterprise is an ideal way to prepare our young people for the world of business.  The Ulster Business School is delighted to support the Young Enterprise Awards and to help celebrate the many outstanding achievements of students on the Company and Team Programmes, inspiring them to create and run their own business.

A full photo gallery for the Young Enterprise Awards 2015 can be found at our Facebook Page.