The final eight entrants out of 31 nominees for the National Enterprise Awards are being announced in Dublin today.
The 18th National Awards, organised by the Local Enterprise Offices, take place at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham next month.
Small businesses from Galway, Donegal, Clare, Westmeath, Kilkenny, Wicklow, Louth and Dublin will compete for the top prize.
Previous winners of the competition have included Irish Yoghurts from West Cork, Hot Irish Whiskey (Walsh Whiskey) from Carlow and Innovate Telecoms and IT from Wexford.
The most recent winners of the competition, Design Pro in Limerick, provide precision automation and machine build services.
Design Pro went from employing 10 people in 2013, when they won the award, to employing 22 people today.
Headed up by Paul Collins, the company is on track to double its workforce again over the next two years.
