24th Desjardins Grand Prize Gala of the OSEntreprendre Challenge: Coming together to honour provincial prizewinners

QUÉBEC CITY, June 9, 2022  /CNW Telbec/ - The provincial prizewinners were announced before nearly 500 guests gathered at the Palais Montcalm for the Desjardins Grand Prize Gala of the OSEntreprendre Challenge. Students, school staff and entrepreneurs from across the province were selected among the 49 210 people who took part in this 24th edition! Touching moments from the evening, hosted with a touch of humour by Anaïs Favron, can be found at osentreprendre.quebec.

"By sharing the core values and convictions that motivate them with passion and authenticity, and by demonstrating the efforts they have made to adapt, the pleasure they have found in achieving their goals, and their perseverance over the last few months, the winners bring a great deal of energy, pride and inspiration to those who discovered them," mentioned Manon Théberge, President and CEO of OSEntreprendre.

Overall, 37 provincial prizewinners were announced in the Scholastic, Business Creation, Successful Business Inc. and Doing Business Together sections (see list in Appendix), for a total of $224 000 in cash prizes, in addition to the scholarships awarded during the local and regional finals of this edition.

The event was held under the honorary co-presidency of Zakary Pilote and Serge Beauchemin, with the participation of François Legault, Premier of Québec, Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy and Innovation, Lucie Lecours, Minister for the Economy, Jean-François Roberge, Minister of Education, as well as Guy Cormier, Desjardins Group President and CEO, and Jean-Yves Bourgeois, Executive Vice-President of Desjardins' Business Services Group.

About the OSEntreprendre Challenge

OSEntreprendre's mission is to foster the spirit of entrepreneurship in order to help build a proud, innovative, committed and prosperous Québec. Its main activity, the OSEntreprendre Challenge, is a major Québec movement that acknowledges the entrepreneurial initiatives of young people from elementary school to university and new entrepreneurs. The OSEntreprendre Challenge is made possible with the financial support of such committed partners as Desjardins Group and the Québec government (respectively our presenting and title partners), Québecor, Videotron Business, the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec (CPA) and Spektrum Media.

From elementary school to university, these young people have developed their entrepreneurial spirit through their projects. Entrepreneurial experimentation, one of the four intervention levers that make up the Education Through Entrepreneurial Spirit approach, contributes to a number of success factors, such as the construction of identity, a feeling of competence, motivation, a sense of belonging, educational success and career orientation for older students. Thousands of school staff members have enabled these young people to grow on various levels.

Provincial Prize ? Category: Elementary Cycle One (Elementary 1 and 2)

• À vélo, à l'école!, École Sutton, CSS du Val-des-Cerfs (Montérégie)

Provincial Prize ? Category: Elementary Cycle Two (Elementary 3 and 4)

• Parés pour l'aventure, École Centrale, CSS de l'Énergie (Mauricie)

Provincial Prize ? Category: Elementary Cycle Three (Elementary 5 and 6)

• Sous le feu des projecteurs, École Saint-Joseph, CSS du Littoral (Côte-Nord)

Provincial Prize ? Category: Secondary Cycle One (Secondary I and II) 

• Les paniers du jardinier, École secondaire Paul-Le Jeune, CSS de l'Énergie (Mauricie)

Provincial Prize ? Category: Secondary Cycle Two (Secondary III, IV and V)

• Chalzo, la pizzéria, École Gabriel-Dionne, CSS du Littoral (Côte-Nord)

Provincial Prize ? Category: Secondary School ? Special Education

• Une patte sur le coeur, Polyvalente des Baies, CSS de l'Estuaire (Côte-Nord)

Provincial Prize ? Category: Vocational Training and Adult Education

• Distributeurs de P'tits bonheurs, CFP de La Côte-de-Gaspé, CSS des Chic-Chocs (Gaspésie?Îles-de-la-Madeleine)

Provincial Prize ? Category: College ? Individual and Small Group

• Vintage Closet Friperie en ligne, Cégep Garneau (Capitale-Nationale)

Provincial Prize ? Category: College ? Group
Jury's Favourite Prize ? Co-operative ? Fondation pour l'éducation à la coopération et à la mutualité 

• O' Bonne heure étudiant (café étudiant), Institut de technologie agroalimentaire du Québec, campus de Saint-Hyacinthe (Montérégie)

Provincial Prize ? Category: University ? Individual and Small Group

• Clinique APF, Centre d'entrepreneuriat et d'essaimage, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean)

Provincial Prize ? Category: University ? Group

• Site Web de L'Organisme Du Fjord au Lac, Centre d'entrepreneuriat et d'essaimage, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean)

Supported by stakeholders in their regions, these entrepreneurs made it through the local and regional selection processes and advanced to the finals, undergoing a formative experience with the juries. By contributing to the development of their region, these individuals are making a difference and are true sources of inspiration!

Category: Bio-Food, presented by Saputo

• Provincial first prize: BeLOV Compagnie inc. (Laurentides)
• Provincial second prize: Lyoterra (Montérégie)

Category: Commerce, presented by Spektrum

• Provincial first prize: Vélo Conversio inc. (Montérégie)
• Provincial second prize: Pâtisserie Zébulon (Montréal)

Category: Social Economy, presented by the Caisse d'économie solidaire Desjardins

• Provincial first prize: Coopérative de solidarité | Flottille artisan·e·s libraires (Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine)
• Provincial second prize: Corporation PAX Habitat (Lanaudière)

Category: Business Operation, Processing, Production

• Provincial first prize: Constellations (Laurentides)
• Provincial second prize: RM éco (Laval)

Category: Technological and Technical Innovation, presented by Videotron Business

• Provincial first prize: Désherbex inc. (Estrie)
• Provincial second prize: PLAKK (Montréal)

Category: Services to Companies, presented by the Ordre des CPA du Québec

• Provincial first prize: Halte gestion et construction inc. (Outaouais)
• Provincial second prize: Expertise Kändea (Montérégie)

Category: Services to Individuals

• Provincial first prize: Clinique psychosociale Novæ s.e.n.c. (Montérégie)
• Provincial second prize: Yawinonh (Capitale-Nationale)

Youth Entrepreneurship Grand Prizes, in partnership with the Secrétariat à la jeunesse

• BeLOV Compagnie inc. (Laurentides)
• Vélo Conversio inc. (Montérégie)

Jury's Favourite Prize ? Women's Entrepreneurship, in partnership with the Secrétariat à la condition féminine

• Yawinonh (Capitale-Nationale)

Jury's Favourite Prize ? Ingenuity, in partnership with Loto-Québec 

• Désherbex inc. (Estrie)

Jury's Favorite Prize ? Chief Scientist's Favourite Prize, in partnership with Les Fonds de recherche du Québec

• Désherbex inc. (Estrie)

Provincial Prize

• Hélio (Lanaudière)

Provincial Prize

• Repère Boréal inc. (Capitale-Nationale)

People's Choice Provincial Prize, powered by Videotron Business

• Dépanord inc. (Côte-Nord)

Local Community Involvement Prize ? Scholastic section

• Découvreurs en ACTION (Capitale-Nationale)

Local Community Involvement Prize? Business sections

• Capitale Entrepreneur (Capitale-Nationale)

Regional Commitment Prize ? Fonds locaux de solidarité FTQ and Fédération québécoise des municipalités

• Région du Nord-du-Québec

SOURCE OSEntreprendre Challenge