Nominations for entrepreneur award the Hague Pearl have been announced

The nominations for the entrepreneur award the Hague Pearl have been announced. In the Exceptional Contribution category, TommyTomato, Haagse Schatten and Nelis have been nominated. The nominees in the Impactful circular enterprise category are: CupXchange, Yespers and De Pot Op.

The municipality of The Hague is proud of its entrepreneurs. The municipality awards the annual ‘Haagse Parel’ for this very reason. It is an award for companies and individuals who make a special contribution to the Hague economy. This year, there are two categories: Exceptional Contribution and Impactful Circular Enterprise.

Alderman for SMEs, Employment and Participation, Nur Icar: ‘’Working, entrepreneurship, starting new businesses. The Hague has many energetic entrepreneurs whom we would like to put in the spotlight. After all, they contribute to a lively city, with vibrant neighbourhoods and districts and provide employment. I am very proud of the list of nominees. It is great to see that we have so many socially involved entrepreneurs with an eye for sustainability. I call on everyone: cast your vote and let us know who you think deserves a Haagse Parel.’

Exceptional contribution
Nominated in the Exceptional Contribution category are TommyTomato, Haagse Schatten and Nelis.
TommyTomato turns primary school children into vegetable eaters for life by delivering hot, healthy lunches in the classroom. Using a playful approach, they make learning about nutrition fun and accessible, contributing to a healthier and fairer start for every child.
Haagse Schatten puts local entrepreneurs in the spotlight with blogs, treasure maps and a gift voucher, encouraging local shopping.
Nelis helps young people on their way by training them to become window washers, caretakers or cleaners, with personal guidance and attention to development in several areas of life.

Impactful circular enterprise
In the Impactful Circular Enterprise category, CupXchange, Yespers and De Pot Op are nominated.
CupXchange replaces disposable cups with reusable ones and works with social work partners.
Yespers processes leftover fruit into sustainable breakfast products in their zero-waste factory and builds a circular food system.
De Pot Op is reducing The Hague's nappy waste mountain with an innovative approach to early toilet training, bringing both environmental gains and benefits to families.

Public and jury votes
Who will be the winner of The Hague Pearl 2025 is in the hands of both the professional jury and the public. The public can vote for their favourite company from 22 April until 12.00 on Thursday 22 May at haagseparel.nl. Audience votes count 40 per cent in the result.

The other 60 per cent is in the hands of the expert jury. The jury consists of: Kaushilya Budhu Lall trade jury on behalf of (Economic Board The Hague), Robert Medenblik (VNO-NCW), Edith Groenewegen (MKB The Hague), Juriën Kester (Tuincentrum Ockenburg and also winner The Hague Pearl 2024 exceptional contribution) and Rolien Wiersinga (Circular Green and also the winner The Hague Pearl 2024 category impactful circular enterprise).

Presentation
The presentation of the Hague Pearl will take place during Den Haag Inspireert!, The Hague's entrepreneurial event taking place on Friday 13 June at the Fokker Terminal. Are you an entrepreneur and would you like to witness the ceremony live? Then register here for a free ticket.