The organisers of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards and the publishers of Fresh Business Thinking, have this year launched the Entrepreneur Wales Awards, the only awards to acknowledge the hard work and inspiring stories of Welsh entrepreneurs and businesses in Wales.

Led by former Wales international rugby player, Alix Popham, from Newport, and Welsh entrepreneur and Cardiff Metropolitan university graduate, Francesca Russell, the awards will champion the talent and success of entrepreneurs across the board, from ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ to the ‘Entrepreneurs’ Champion of the Year’ and 14 other categories including food and drink, digital, service industries, fashion and start-up.

The awards are free to enter and provide the unique opportunity for entrepreneurs across Wales to present their work, and celebrate their contribution to entrepreneurship, to a number of industry leaders. The deadline to enter is the July 31, 2015.

Alix Popham, partnerships manager for The Entrepreneur Wales Awards said: "I'm delighted to be working on the inaugural Entrepreneur Wales Awards, particularly because there are so many parallels between sport and entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship, like sport, is not a soft option taken by people who simply want to get by in life. Instead, it's a pathway for those who want to be the best, and that should be celebrated."

For more details visit www.entrepreneurwalesawards.com/.