The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is launching the Call for Nominations for the Western Balkans Six Women Entrepreneurs of the Year 2025.

Launched in the framework of the Regional Network of Women in Entrepreneurship (RNWE), this initiative forms part of RCC’s broader regional agenda on women’s economic empowerment, competitiveness, inclusive growth, and regional cooperation. It is designed not merely as a celebratory initiative, but as a visible regional contribution to a wider process aimed at strengthening the position of women entrepreneurs across the Western Balkans Six.

Women entrepreneurs are important drivers of prosperity, innovation, and resilience in the Western Balkans Six. Through their ideas, leadership, and determination, they create jobs, open new opportunities, and contribute to more inclusive and sustainable economic development across the region. Through this initiative, RCC seeks to recognise women who have built and grown their own businesses, introduced innovative or socially valuable products and services, and made a meaningful contribution to their communities and economies.

This edition will culminate in the Western Balkans Six Women Entrepreneurs of the Year 2025, to be held on 30 June 2026 in Sarajevo, on the margins of the Gender Equality Forum. In this context, this ceremony serves as RCC’s flagship pre-Forum contribution, helping to elevate women entrepreneurs from across the region, generate positive regional visibility, and reinforce the place of women’s economic empowerment within the broader agenda of competitiveness, resilience, inclusion, and convergence with the European Union.

At the same time, the initiative connects entrepreneurial success stories with RCC’s wider work on access to finance, stronger networks, improved visibility, better gender-disaggregated data, and women’s participation in the green and digital transition.

RCC invites public and private institutions, chambers of commerce, business associations, women entrepreneurs’ networks, development partners, civil society organisations, and other relevant stakeholders across the Western Balkans Six to submit nominations.

The call for nominations is open from 9 April 2026 to 9 May 2026.

Nominees must:

• be women entrepreneurs from one of the Western Balkans Six;
• have a legally registered business;
• have been in operation for at least one year at the time of nomination;
• not have any conflict with RCC contracting rules.

Six winners will be presented in the following categories:

• Green Woman Entrepreneur
  For a woman entrepreneur who has developed a company with cleaner technologies, recycled products, environmentally sustainable solutions, or products and services that reduce environmental damage, minimise pollution and resource use, improve product lifecycle, or support emerging green jobs and the green transition.
• Artistic Woman Entrepreneur
  For a woman entrepreneur who has developed a company related to arts, culture, design, fashion, lifestyle, crafts, or other creative industries.
• ICT Woman Entrepreneur
  For a woman entrepreneur who has developed a business in the ICT sector and/or has embraced digital tools, technology, and innovation to provide solutions for the local, regional, or wider market.
• Tourism Woman Entrepreneur
  For a woman entrepreneur who has developed a company in the tourism sector and contributes to tourism promotion, local and regional visibility, traditional products, recreation and entertainment, nature-based activities, agro-tourism, or related services.
• Young Woman Entrepreneur
  For a young woman entrepreneur, up to 35 years of age, who has demonstrated an innovative business solution, entrepreneurial initiative, or a product or service with strong growth potential, impact, and visibility.
• Social Star Woman Entrepreneur
  For a woman entrepreneur who has launched and/or developed her business through highly effective use of social media, digital communication, and online promotion.

The RCC will select 6 (six) women entrepreneurs, one from each: Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, that are meeting the characteristics of the abovementioned categories.

In addition, the initiative’s Jury will select 6 (six) women entrepreneurs for the Special Jury Recognition.

First phase: Call for nominations

During the nomination period, stakeholders from across the region are invited to submit nominations through the designated application form. Nominations should present women entrepreneurs whose work, business model, impact, and visibility correspond to one of the categories, and from each Western Balkans Six: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

Second phase: Selection by jury

Following the closure of the call, RCC will establish a jury to assess the nominations and select the winners. The jury will review the nominations on the basis of the information submitted through the application process and any supporting material provided.

The jury will assess nominations against the following criteria:

• relevance of the nomination to the selected category;
• demonstrated entrepreneurial initiative, business development, and visibility;
• evidence of impact, innovation, sustainability, or contribution to the local or regional economy;
• quality and substance of the nomination submitted;
• positive references, supporting information, and broader contribution of the nominee to women’s entrepreneurship and regional visibility.

Please note that:

• the judging panel has the right to move an application to a different category if they feel it is more appropriate and/or in the nominee’s interest;
• the judging panel reserves the right to select one woman entrepreneur from each Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, and depending on interest shown for the suggested categories;
• the decision of the judging panel is final.

Who should not be nominated?

The jury will not consider:

• nominees who have previously received a grant or award in past RCC activities;
• nominees who hold an active contract with RCC at the time of nomination.

Third phase: event

The winners will be informed in due time and asked to provide a video pitch, pictures, short profiles of their business experience and biography.

The winners will be invited to participate in the Western Balkans Six Women Entrepreneurs of the Year 2025, to be held on 30 June 2026 in Sarajevo, on the margins of the Gender Equality Forum.

Recognised women entrepreneurs will:

• receive regional visibility and promotion through RCC communication channels and event-related materials;
• be featured through short profiles, visuals, and related visibility products prepared;
• gain stronger exposure within RCC’s broader work on women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship in the region;
• be connected to the Regional Network of Women in Entrepreneurship (RNWE) as a platform for exchange, promotion, visibility, and future engagement;
• contribute, through their stories and achievements, to wider regional messages and visibility materials linked to the Gender Equality Forum 2026 and RCC’s follow-up work in this area.