Mayo business set for National Enterprise Awards
The social enterprise will represent Local Enterprise Office Mayo at the prestigious awards that take place on Thursday June 18 in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin.
A social enterprise from Ballina is set to compete as one of the finalists for the National Enterprise Award taking place next week.
ACT will represent Local Enterprise Office Mayo at the prestigious awards that take place on Thursday, June 18, in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin.
ACT is a pioneering social enterprise reimagining the built environment through a regenerative lens. As a non-profit company limited by guarantee, ACT operates at the intersection of architecture, digital innovation and policy, reinvesting all surpluses into climate-focused research to deliver scalable, nature-positive solutions for Ireland’s green Transition. James McConville, Kevin Loftus and Tom Lindsay are the founders and the website is www.act-studio.com.
This is the 26th year of the National Enterprise Awards – a Local Enterprise Office initiative, which was won last year by health tech business, SPRYT, supported by Local Enterprise Office Monaghan. Apart from ACT, a wide variety of finalists are competing for the title of National Enterprise of the Year 2026.
Peter Burke, TD, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, said at the announcement; “The National Enterprise Awards provide us with an opportunity to celebrate the very best of Irish entrepreneurship. Looking through the list of finalists for this year, you can see a significant variety of sectors and business ideas, from Health and Beauty to AgTech, from Software to Food and Drink.
“Every one of these finalists have the potential to scale, create jobs in their communities and make a significant impact internationally. These awards shine a light on the amazing businesses that are starting and growing across the country year on year, and we should be extremely proud of the level of founders that Ireland is producing. The previous winners and indeed finalists have shown the calibre of these awards, and it’s exciting to see where these businesses can and will go in the future.”
John Magee, Head of Enterprise, Mayo County Council: “The National Enterprise Awards serve to highlight the very best businesses that the Local Enterprise Offices are working with across the country. The diversity of sectors and innovation shown again this year is outstanding and the winners will no doubt produce businesses destined for international success. These businesses have excelled in their areas and have the potential to follow in the footsteps of previous winners to become successful global companies”.
Local Enterprise Office Mayo have had previous success at the awards, including Overall National Enterprise of the Year 2023 (Advanced Cosmetics), an Innovation award (Cytidel) and a Western regional award (Nutrijellies).
The finalists compete for a total prize fund of €80,000 and along with an overall National Enterprise of the Year winner there are categories for Best Start-Up, Best Export Business, an Innovation Award, a Digital Award, a Green Award and a Female Entrepreneur award. There will also be an Outstanding Achievement Award presented on the night to an Irish business who started with the support of their Local Enterprise Office and has gone on to achieve international success.
The National Enterprise Awards are one of a number of initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run, to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the Student Enterprise Programme, National Women’s Enterprise Day, and Local Enterprise Showcase. The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, through Enterprise Ireland. Established in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices are the essential resource for any entrepreneur looking to start a business or any small business that is looking for support or advice to help them grow.
Since their inception in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create over 80,000 jobs across the country. The LEOs work with thousands of client companies across Ireland in a diverse range of sectors offering mentoring, training, expert advice, and financial supports to small businesses. For more information see www.LocalEnterprise.ie