Three of Six Finalists for the 2026 De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award
August 15, 2025
Each year, the De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award recognizes the very best of JA young entrepreneurs. JA’s only global student award brings together winners of the six regional Company of the Year competitions to compete in a global showcase of innovation, resilience, and leadership. To be named a finalist is an extraordinary accomplishment: each team has risen above thousands of peers to represent their region on the world stage.
Honoring Ralph de la Vega
The award is named in honor of Ralph and Maria de la Vega, longtime champions of youth entrepreneurship. Ralph is a former JA Worldwide board chair who rose from humble beginnings as a Cuban immigrant and went on to become president and CEO of AT&T Mobility, where he was instrumental in forging the partnership with Steve Jobs that launched the iPhone. His story embodies the values of determination, vision, and opportunity that JA seeks to instill in young people worldwide.
Celebrating Past Winners
Since its launch in 2021, the De La Vega Award has spotlighted some of the most promising young companies from across JA’s global network. Previous winners include:
2025: FlameGuard, JA of North Central Ohio (Junior Achievement USA)
2024: Isometricks, JA Greece (JA Europe)
2023: Hekima Inc, JA Zimbabwe (JA Africa)
2022: Scribo, JA Slovakia (JA Europe)
2021: Bubbles, JA Denmark (JA Europe)
Each of these student ventures has demonstrated not only business acumen but also creativity, teamwork, and a drive to help their communities thrive.
Meet the 2026 Finalists So Far
The 2026 competition is taking shape, with three of the six finalists named:
Zester, JA Hong Kong SAR—China emerged as the regional winner emerged at the JA Asia Pacific Company of the Year Competition in Tokyo.
VerifyID from JA Denmark/Fonden for Entreprenørskab was the winning team announced at the JA Europe Gen-E Festival in Athens.
InnovaQuest, from JA of Southeastern Pennsylvania was crowned at the inaugural Junior Achievement USA Future Bound event in Atlanta.
With three finalists secured, anticipation now builds for the remaining three teams, who will be decided at upcoming competitions in October (INJAZ Al-Arab/JA MENA), November (JA Americas), and December (JA Africa), which we’ll showcase in December.
Looking Ahead
In early 2026, preparations begin for the global finals, for which all six teams will create videos that showcase their businesses, their impact, challenges they overcame, and more, as they embody Ralph de la Vega’s legacy.