Previous Stelios Bi-Communal Awards winners share their experience

The Stelios Bi-Communal Awards for Business Co-operation celebrate 15 years of supporting dozens of entrepreneurs from both communities, enabling them to establish or expand their businesses and turn their vision into reality.

Since the awards' inception in 2009, the total prize value—including this year’s €410,000—has reached €4,800,000.

From Award to Growth

Steven Stavrou and Burak Doluay, co-founders of SocialTech Lab (https://socialtechlab.org) and members of one of last year’s winning bi-communal teams, stand as a prime example of success. With the support of the Stelios Bi-Communal Awards for Business Co-operation 2024, they managed to strengthen their company, which provides innovative digital tools that empower entrepreneurs to grow, fostering economic development and social progress—even in the most challenging environments.

"The cash prize helped us add new talent to our team from both communities (creating two new jobs), support our business activities, enhance our financial sustainability, and remain resilient as a bi-communal enterprise," Steven and Burak shared regarding their award.

They emphasise that the Stelios Bi-Communal Awards for Business Co-operation play a vital role in promoting new bi-communal business collaborations while also ensuring the sustainability of existing ones across the island.

"We heard about the Bi-Communal Awards from friends, colleagues, and social media campaigns. The awards align perfectly with our work, mission, and values, so the application process was a simple and enjoyable experience for us. It essentially allowed us to put our collaboration into words and numbers," the two winners explained.

Bi-communal collaboration has become a natural part of the lives of these two business partners and friends, who fondly recall their early business steps and look forward to future challenges with optimism.

"Our partnership has allowed us to discover tremendous opportunities by leveraging each other’s networks across both communities, identifying talent across the island, and fostering deep friendships and long-term relationships on both a personal and professional level. Entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses should seek opportunities island-wide, and the generous support from the Stelios Foundation through the Bi-Communal Awards is a key enabler of this," Steven and Burak highlight.

Application Process

Applications for the Stelios Bi-Communal Awards 2025 can be submitted until Tuesday, 11 March, 2025. Interested teams can apply by clicking the relevant link on the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation website: www.steliosfoundation.com.cy. After downloading and completing the application, they must send it via email to Marios Missirlis at marios.missirlis@stelios.com.

The prizes will be awarded by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou on Friday, 11 April, 2025, at 11am at the headquarters of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation (5 Markou Drakou Street, Nicosia), in the presence of the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides.

Over the years, the Stelios Bi-Communal Awards for Business Co-operation have been warmly embraced by both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. They continue to foster economic cooperation between the two communities in Cyprus, strengthen mutual understanding and trust, and contribute to the social and economic development of the island.