Yerevan, Armenia – The National Gallery of Armenia hosted on April 4 the Best Woman Entrepreneur award ceremony. The event is held annually under the auspices of the Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan with the aim of inspiring and encouraging women entrepreneurs in Armenia. This year the event was supported by the USAID-funded Partnerships for Rural Prosperity Program, implemented by the SME Development National Center of Armenia (SME DNC). In attendance at the event were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Territorial Administration Armen Gevorgyan, Head of USAID/Armenia Karen Hilliard, representatives of the international donor community, local organizations, and the media.

The ceremony features six nominations for an award: best woman employer; best woman initiator/innovator; woman benefactor; best brand by a woman entrepreneur; best young woman entrepreneur; and best start-up woman entrepreneur. An independent jury selects two candidates – one from capital Yerevan and one from a region – for each category that will receive certificates of honor from the Prime Minister. In addition, donors and international organizations, including USAID, UNDP, UNIDO, GIZ, ADB, and IFC, grant their own prizes to selected women entrepreneurs. 

As part of its mission to foster rural entrepreneurship and stimulate women’s participation in economic activity, the USAID-funded Partnerships for Rural Prosperity Program (PRP) was pleased to grant certificates and gift cards to two women awardees this year: Anahit Alaverdyan, owner of a bed-and-breakfast in Ijevan (Tavush) as the “best start-up entrepreneur from the region”, and Yepraksi Tarverdyan, producer of dried fruits and candied fruits in Azatavan (Ararat), for the “best brand by woman entrepreneur from the region.”

The event, through the support of the Asian Development Bank, also featured a film and a brochure with success stories of the women awardees of 2013.