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Global Student
Entrepreneur Awards

The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) is the premier global competition for students who own and operate a business while attending college or university. Nominees compete against their peers from around the world in a series of local and/or national competitions in hopes to qualify for GSEA Finals. Founded in 1998 by Saint Louis University, GSEA is now an Entrepreneurs’ Organization program.

About GSEA

Since 1998, the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, a program founded at the John Cook School of Business (now the Richard A Chaifetz School of Business) at Saint Louis University, has honored outstanding undergraduates who juggle a course load as a student and run their own businesses at the same time. Since its inception, the program has become one of the largest and fastest-growing global competitions in terms of the number of partnering schools and participating students. The program’s mission is to inspire students to adopt entrepreneurial endeavors by bringing global visibility to student business owners whose companies adhere to high ethical standards, are innovative, profitable and socially responsible. The Entrepreneurs’ Organizations’ (EO) leadership of the GSEA program began in 2006, and since then, student entrepreneurs have tapped into the collective knowledge and experience of EO members, gaining access to global networks and to a community that understands passion, struggle, drive and success.

For more information about this year’s GSEA competition, visit www.gsea.org.

How Does the Competition Work?

The local chapters of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) will host live competitions at the local and/or national level, which will serve as a qualifying event for GSEA Global Finals in April each year.

Eligibility Criteria

You must be enrolled for the current academic year in a university/college as an undergraduate or graduate* student at the time of application. Full-time enrollment is not required; part-time enrollment is acceptable.

  1. You must be the owner, founder or controlling shareholder of your company and principally responsible for its operation. Each company can be represented by only one owner/co-founder.
  2. Your business must have been in operation for at least six consecutive months prior to the application.
  3. Your business must have generated US $500 or received US $1000 in investments at the time of application.
  4. You should not have been one of the final round competitors from any previous year’s GSEA Global Finals Competition.
  5. The age cap for participation is 30 years of age.


*Graduate students are eligible to apply only if they have continually enrolled in a university following their undergraduate degree and not left school to work on their business or to seek other employment. Exceptions can be made for students who have taken up to 12 months’ break before beginning their postgraduate education.