Three well-known programs show the range: Inc. 5000, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year and Forbes 30 Under 30. Each publishes its own gates, and they differ on who may apply and what proof is required.
The details below come from each program's published rules for the 2026 cycle. Thresholds, ages and deadlines differ by country.
Inc. 5000 is a ranking, not a nomination
The Inc. 5000 ranks companies, not people. For the 2026 list, a company had to be privately held, for-profit, U.S.-based and independent, meaning not a subsidiary or division of another company.
It also had to have generated revenue by March 31, 2022. Revenue of at least $100,000 in 2022 and at least $2 million in 2025 was required.
Companies that were acquired or went public remain eligible if they were privately held and independent through December 31, 2025.
The application itself asks for basic company details: founding year, CEO name, company address and annual revenue figures.
How Inc. verifies growth figures
Rank is set by three-year revenue growth from 2022 to 2025. The formula is 2025 revenue minus 2022 revenue, divided by 2022 revenue, multiplied by 100. Inc.'s example is a company with $3 million in 2022 and $15 million in 2025, which works out to 400% growth.
Applicants submit gross annual revenue for both years, supported by financial statements signed by the CEO and a credentialed third party. Business tax returns or audited financial statements are accepted. Revenue means gross receipts minus returns.
Inc. may ask for more documentation in unusual cases and for very high-growth companies.
Because the base year is 2022, the size of that year's revenue shapes the percentage. Inc. reports that median three-year growth on the 2026 list was 130%, and that several honorees had six-figure growth rates. The top company, Main Street Health, posted 546,533%.
Editorial review can remove an applicant
After the numbers, the editorial team runs a second review. Inc.'s research department conducts background research and may interview selected founders.
Companies are held to editorial standards covering accuracy, fairness, transparency and ethics. A company that does not meet them may be disqualified.
A listing therefore rests on figures that have been checked and on a review against editorial standards, not only on growth.
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year screens the person
EY's program is built around the individual, and its rules vary by country. EY says it launched in 1986 and now runs in 60 countries and 145 cities, and country winners can go on to the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year competition.
In New Zealand, a nominee must be a founder, owner or manager of a private or public company or organisation, be primarily responsible for its recent performance and be an active member of senior management.
The nominee must also be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, hold a significant equity stake, and lead a company that has existed for at least two years when applications close. The 2026 New Zealand deadline was 18 June.
EY Ireland sets numbers. The nominee must have held the role for at least two years and own at least 5% of the company. The entrepreneur should also have a significant personal financial stake, directly or via share options. The business must have been trading for at least two years, with turnover above €1 million or £1 million. The nominee must be Irish or run a company based on the island of Ireland.
Co-nominees are eligible if they share leadership responsibilities. Ireland assesses publicly listed companies, long pre-trading research and development, early-stage life sciences and technology firms, and companies that have received significant investment case by case.
“A listing therefore rests on figures that have been checked and on a review against editorial standards, not only on growth.”
Who nominates, what EY asks for and who judges
In Ireland, anyone associated with a successful entrepreneur may nominate them, including spouses, employees, bankers, attorneys and PR managers. The entrepreneur may also self-nominate, and EY Ireland says self-nominations are encouraged. EY Ireland states there is no cost to submit a nomination.
The Irish form is submitted online. It asks for company and nominee details, whether the company is publicly held, whether the founder is in top management, and any outside investment raised.
It also asks for financial data covering three years: fiscal year-end, total employees, annual sales, income before taxes, EBITDA, total assets and total equity. Nominees report any mergers in the past three years and the share of growth due to them, and a narrative can explain unusual trends.
An independent panel judges the nominees. In Ireland it consists of past category and overall winners plus representatives of program sponsors. All nominees are assessed on one scorecard, not only against their own industry.
EY Ireland says nomination information is used by the EY Ireland team and the independent panel of judges, and that financial data is treated as confidential. Nominees not shortlisted to the final 24 are encouraged to reapply, and some past finalists and winners were invited after multiple applications.
New Zealand's panel judges finalists against four criteria that form a balanced scorecard: entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, impact and growth. Growth covers consistent financial performance and return on equity. Impact covers the real-world difference a business makes, such as for customers and the environment.
New Zealand's categories are Products, Services, Technology & Emerging Industries, Young and Master. Young is for entrepreneurs aged 35 or under, and Master is for leaders of established businesses. Ireland's categories are Emerging, Established and International, and it traditionally holds its ceremony in November.
Forbes 30 Under 30 combines applications with editorial scouting
Forbes Australia's 2026 criteria require nominees to have been 29 or younger on December 31, 2026. They must show significant impact through innovation, leadership or entrepreneurial success, strong potential for future influence, and a proven track record such as funding, revenue, social impact or creative breakthroughs.
Anyone could self-nominate or nominate a peer online, and Forbes says the route does not matter. It says a well-written application that tightly explores achievements does, and that multiple nominations do not equate to a better chance and can sometimes be seen as a red flag.
Categories include finance, venture capital, media, entertainment, music, the arts, retail, e-commerce, science, social impact, sport, and AI and technology. Nominees unsure of their category do not have to choose, because the editorial team assesses the best fit.
Forbes' editorial team also finds candidates through industry experts, list alumni and current affairs. A panel of independent expert judges and Forbes staff evaluates candidates on funding, revenue, social impact, scale, inventiveness and potential. All nominees are background and fact-checked.
Forbes says nominees do not learn they have made the list until the day of publication.
Nominations for the 2026 Forbes Australia list are now closed.
Sources
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