Entries Open For The 2026 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award

The Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Awards, one of the most esteemed accolades for female founders and CEO’s, returns to South Africa for its 5^th year. The Awards Ceremony, set to take place on the 15^th of July 2026, will be an illustrious celebration of visionaries and disruptors who are reshaping industries and driving meaningful change. The Bold Woman Award invites all women entrepreneurs and business women looking to expand their network and join a global community of influential, trailblazing women.

About the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award

In 1805, a time when women were denied economic autonomy, Madame Clicquot took the reins of the House after the death of her husband. In the years that followed, this trailblazing young entrepreneur revolutionized the champagne industry and built the iconic and internationally recognized brand we know today. Madame Clicquot is credited for creating the first recorded vintage champagne and developing the first blended rosé champagne, among other impressive feats.

To mark its 200th anniversary in 1972, Veuve Clicquot paid tribute to the Grande Dame of Champagne, and created the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award (Bold Woman Award), followed by the Clémentine Award (Bold Future Award) in 2014. For more than 50 years, the House has honoured and featured women who have built, taken on, or developed a business – to date, almost 500 women across 27 countries. In response to society’s evolution since 1972, starting in 2019 the award has been part of an international program: Bold by Veuve Clicquot, a series of initiatives to generate conversations and networks around the world, designed to create impact and champion inclusiveness.

The Legacy Of Bold Leadership Continues

Since its inception, the initiative has honoured nearly 500 women across 27 countries, cultivating a global community of formidable leaders whose ambition and impact continue to set a new standard for modern entrepreneurship. Bold Woman Award remains the longest-running international honour dedicated to female entrepreneurship, while unapologetically serving as a catalyst for connection and visibility, bringing into sharp focus the lived realities of women in business today.

The Award recognizes outstanding women in two categories: The Bold Woman Award for established leaders who have built successful businesses, and the Bold Future Award for rising entrepreneurs with the potential to shape the future. Together, these categories reflect Veuve Clicquot’s commitment to supporting women at different stages of their entrepreneurial journeys

Past Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award recipients in South Africa

Bold Woman Award Recipients

2022: Gugu Sithole, Founder of Glamping Adventures

2023: Claire Blanckenberg of Reel Gardening

2024: Morongwe “Mo” Mokone, Co-founder of Mo’s Crib

2025: Retang Phaahla, Co-founder and CEO of Setšong Tea Crafters

Bold Future Award Recipients

2022: Captain Londy Ngcobo, Founder of Womaritime Experts, Global Maritime Youth and Africa’s first female dredge master

2023: Zama Ngcobo, Founder of WMN Attorneys Inc.

2024: Refilwe Sebothoma, Founder of Hakem Energies

2025: Dr Phindile Cebekhulu-Msomi, Founder and CEO of Hazile Group

How to enter

To enter the Bold Woman Award, candidates must be founders or CEOs of a company for more than five years, have demonstrated transformation and evolution in their field, and supported growth for at least two years while maintaining an ethical approach to business.

To qualify for the Bold Future Award, candidates must be the founders or CEOs of a company that has been in existence for less than five years. In that time, the candidate must have made a significant contribution to the success of their company by instilling a sense of entrepreneurship and have made a tangible contribution to transformation in an existing market, while bringing ethical change to the company.

An expert jury will select three finalists in each category. These finalists will be invited to the Bold Woman Award ceremony on 15^th July 2026. At the ceremony, the jury will laud one laureate in each category. Beyond the ceremony, the winners will travel to Reims, France, for an immersion in the history, tradition and luxury of Maison Veuve Clicquot, while gaining access to mentorship, global visibility and a powerful international network of like-minded entrepreneurial women.

Entries open on 2^nd March and close on 12^th April 2026. Business leaders and role models who are ready to be recognised for their remarkable success are invited to enter the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award by completing a simple form.

Applicants must be official residents of South Africa, and the business must be based in or operating in South Africa. The finalists will be selected by an independent panel of judges.