The winner will receive a cheque for £50,000 at the Chamber Awards on November 29th, organised by the British Chambers of Commerce.

In order to be eligible, the entrepreneur must have at least a 40 per cent stake in the firm, be involved in the management, and be officially recognised as disabled.

As well as this, the company must have been operating for no longer than three years and must have a turnover of more than £10,000 a year.

Stelios says he is passionate about helping to remove the barriers faced by disabled people in business.

‘That is why I am keen to establish this new award which will give disabled people an opportunity to show the world what they are able to do rather than have them negatively judged by their disability,’ he says.

‘I look forward to seeing the best of the entries and in due course handing over the cheque to the winner.’

Leonard Cheshire has some ideas for how the £50,000 could be spent, too. It suggests buying a piece of equipment that could double production capacity, or embarking on an international operation.