Former merchant navy captain DC Sekhar never imagined that he’d one day be a go-to for municipal and state corporations with lots of cleaning up to do. Literally. Now the MD of Bengaluru-based green tech enterprise AlphaMERS, Sekhar has 15 proprietary, cost-effective solutions for India’s oil and marine sectors. Floating barriers to collect trash? Check. Integrated containment and skimming systems for oil spill responses? Check. Wave energy converters and boats? Check.
It’s precisely for these innovations that AlphaMERS bagged the ET MSME Award in 2023 in the ‘India’s Top Innovative MSME – Micro’ category. His may be a micro enterprise, but his macro leap for sustainability in India makes DC Sekhar—and others like him—an inspiration for thousands of Indian MSMEs whose stories deserve to be told.
The annual ET MSME Awards have become the most prestigious platform for recognising the extraordinary achievements of Indian micro, small, and medium enterprises. But these awards aren’t just for the already-successful. They’re for one and all: the dreamers, the innovators, the job creators, and those who refuse to give up in the face of adversity.
The beauty of the ET MSME Awards 2025, powered by banking and lending partner IDBI Bank, lies in their inclusivity. Whether you’re running a one-person digital marketing agency from your home or managing a 200-employee manufacturing unit, there’s a category waiting for your story.
Who’s eligible?
Live EventsManufacturing enterprises: If your annual turnover doesn’t exceed ₹500 crore, you’re in the game. This covers everyone from the local garment manufacturer that’s gone commercial to the precision engineering firm supplying to automotive giants.
Service enterprises: With turnover caps of ₹500 crore, this category welcomes IT startups, consulting firms, logistics companies, healthcare services, and countless other service providers driving India’s economic engine.
A three-, not four-year rule: Most categories require businesses to be operational for at least four years – enough time to show resilience, growth, and genuine impact. This isn’t about overnight success stories, but about sustained excellence and perseverance.
But here’s where it gets interesting. The Awards accept three-year operationability and don’t just look at size or revenue. They also celebrate innovation, export achievements, social impact, women entrepreneurship, rural enterprises, and even businesses that have made sustainability their core mission.
Register for India’s biggest MSME awards before August 31, 2025
Beyond the trophy: Why your business needs this recognition
Ask any past winner of the ET MSME Awards, and they’ll tell you the same thing: the real value isn’t in the award itself, but in what comes after.
Credibility that opens doors: When your business displays an ET MSME Award, any difficult conversations with potential clients and partners become much easier because the recognition serves as instant proof that industry experts have validated your excellence. Government contracts, corporate tie-ups, and international deals that seemed impossible become accessible. Consider this your master key that unlocks doors to opportunities that were previously reserved for larger, more established companies.
Access to capital: Banks and investors pay attention to award-winning MSMEs. Recognition translates to reduced risk perception, better loan terms, and increased investor interest. Several winners report securing funding within months of their recognition.
Networking goldmine: The awards ceremony isn’t just a fancy dinner. It’s where industry leaders, policymakers, and fellow entrepreneurs converge. One conversation at the event can change your business trajectory forever.
Media spotlight: In today’s oversaturated marketplace, getting noticed is half the battle won. Award winners receive media coverage that would otherwise cost lakhs and even crores in advertising spend.
Talent magnet: Good employees want to work for recognised companies. Winners often find it easier to attract and retain quality talent.
The categories that could be your stage
The ET MSME Awards 2025 span 22 categories, ensuring every type of business excellence gets its moment:
- Overall Industry Awards (one each for Automobile & OEM, Pharma & Healthcare, Electrical & Electronics, and Clothing & Apparel)
- Indian MSME of the Year (one each for service, manufacturing, and trade sectors)
- Top Exporter of the Year Award (one each for service, manufacturing, and trade sectors)
- Top-performing Listed SME
- Indian MSME Women Entrepreneur of the Year (one each for micro, small, and medium enterprises)
- Indian MSME Enabler Award (one each for Tech & Innovation and Banking & Financing)
- India’s Top Innovative MSME of the Year (one each for micro, small, and medium enterprises)
- India’s Fastest-growing MSME (one each for micro, small, and medium enterprises)
The stories behind the statistics
Every nomination takes enterprises onwards and upwards.
Take Suta, a previous winner of the ET MSME Awards. Founded by Sujata and Taniya Biswas in 2016, this fashion brand works with weavers across India’s villages and textile hubs, turning their incredible handloom skills into gorgeous sarees, blouses, dresses, and lehengas that manage to be both timeless and wearable. The best part? More than eight years since the Biswas sisters founded it with a starting capital of ₹6 lakh, Suta is still bootstrapped, yet generated over ₹75 crore in revenue in FY 2024.
Or take AVPL International, a winner at the ET MSME Awards 2024. In May this year, the drone manufacturing and training company got a green light from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct drone pilot training for medium category drones. It has recently invested $1 million for the research and development of intelligent defence drones.
These aren’t exceptional cases. They’re representative of what happens when good businesses get the recognition they deserve.
Making your case: The nomination strategy
The key to a winning nomination isn’t just having a successful business. It’s telling your story compellingly. The ET MSME Awards want to understand your journey, challenges, innovations, and impact.
Document your journey: Collect and submit data on growth metrics, employment generation, innovation milestones, and community impact. Numbers tell stories, but context makes them compelling.
Highlight uniqueness: What makes your business different? Is it your approach to customer service, innovative product design, sustainable practices, or contribution to skill development?
Quantify impact: How many jobs have you created? What percentage of your revenue comes from exports? How has your innovation solved specific industry problems? The ET MSME Awards 2025 is looking for measurable impact.
Show resilience: Every business faces challenges. How you’ve overcome obstacles, whether economic downturns, supply chain disruptions, or regulatory changes, demonstrates the grit that awards committees admire.
The clock is ticking
Registration windows for prestigious awards like these don’t stay open forever. The early bird not only catches the worm, but often gets better evaluation consideration. Nomination processes require detailed documentation, financial statements, and sometimes site visits, all of which take time to organise properly.
More importantly, the business landscape is increasingly competitive. Every day you delay is another day your competitors will prepare stronger applications.
Beyond personal glory: The bigger picture
When MSMEs win awards, it’s not just individual businesses that benefit. Recognition brings visibility to entire sectors, regions, and business models. Your win could inspire other entrepreneurs in your industry or cluster. It contributes to the larger narrative of Indian entrepreneurship and innovation.
The ET MSME Awards 2025 also provide valuable feedback and benchmarking opportunities. Even if you don’t win, the nomination process forces you to evaluate your business objectively, identify areas for improvement, and set new growth targets.
Your turn to shine
Somewhere in India today is an entrepreneur working late into the night, convinced that recognition is for “other people’s businesses”. There’s a manufacturer perfecting a process that could revolutionise their industry, but doubting whether anyone would notice. There’s a service provider creating jobs in a small town, unaware that their model could be celebrated nationally.
If any of this sounds familiar, the ET MSME Awards 2025 are calling your name.
Your business needn’t be perfect. It needs to be passionate, persistent, and purposeful. The ET MSME Awards recognise not just what you’ve achieved, but the potential of what you could become with the right platform and recognition.
The question isn’t whether you’re good enough for the awards. The question is whether you’re ready to let your success story inspire others and take your business to the next level.
Don’t let another year pass wondering “what if?”. The stage is set, the spotlight is ready, and your story deserves to be told.
Register for the ET MSME Awards 2025 today. Because every great business story started with someone brave enough to put themselves out there.
For detailed eligibility criteria, category descriptions, and registration procedures, visit the official ET MSME Awards 2025 website. Registration deadlines approach faster than business opportunities. Secure your nomination before August 31, 2025.