Eleven Minnesotans from six businesses were among the winners of 2026 Heartland Awards in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year competition.

The Minnesota businesspeople were honored alongside winners from Missouri and Kansas during an EY gala held in June in Minneapolis.

Award candidates were evaluated on long-term value creation, entrepreneurial spirit, purpose-driven commitment, and significant growth and impact.

“Through their vision, focus, and commitment to growth, the winners are building companies that move markets forward, create opportunities for their teams, and strengthen the communities around them,” Zac Smith, co-director of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Heartland Program, said in a prepared statement.

In announcing the award selections, EY took note of the fact that many different types of businesses were winners. “It celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company, transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory, and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to strengthen it for the future,” EY said in a news release.

Leaders from eight other Minnesota companies were finalists for the EY regional award.

Twin Cities Business profiles these accomplished business leaders in this issue and takes an up-close look at the Minnesota winners. Business leaders serve as judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year Heartland Award. Each year, many of the judges are former winners.

The Heartland winners are eligible to compete for national Entrepreneur Of The Year awards.