The Women's Chamber of Industry and Commerce has launched the 2026 Pratibhabhisheka Women Entrepreneur Awards, calling on female business owners to scale up and drive economic growth in a country where women remain underrepresented in entrepreneurship despite making up 52% of the population.
The Women's Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC) has unveiled the 2026 edition of its Pratibhabhisheka Women Entrepreneur Awards, emphasising the need for greater female participation in Sri Lanka's economic recovery. At the launch event held in Colombo, WCIC chairperson Gayani De Alwis highlighted that women, who comprise over half of the nation's population, remain significantly underrepresented in the country's business sector. The awards initiative aims not only to recognise successful enterprises but to establish support systems addressing persistent obstacles including limited access to finance, markets, technology and data.
The Pratibhabhisheka programme, which traces its roots to 1998, was revitalised in 2022 with an enhanced focus on national economic development and women's empowerment. De Alwis noted that the WCIC itself, founded in March 1985, holds the distinction of being the world's first women-only chamber. The awards have since evolved into a credible national platform that increasingly recognises female entrepreneurs internationally. The 2025 iteration drew over 100 applicants across all nine provinces, yielding 31 winners who collectively received 47 awards, with the Western Province representing 68% of applications.
The evaluation process employs rigorous criteria to verify genuine women ownership and leadership alongside sound financial and governance practices. Eligible applicants must operate registered businesses with majority female ownership across various legal structures. The assessment framework examines applicants' entrepreneurial journey, innovation capacity, financial performance, governance standards, workforce development and export potential. Co-chair Wathsala Wickramanayake stated the awards celebrate "courage, vision, resilience and the power to create change," extending beyond mere business recognition. The WCIC is also pursuing complementary initiatives, including fashion industry support programmes designed to facilitate small and medium enterprise participation in export markets.
