By Nick Leiber and John Tozzi

Snapshots of the Winners

For the past 23 years, Ernst & Young has held an annual awards program designed to recognize standout business leaders regionally, nationally, and internationally. The program is open to any active owner or manager primarily responsible for a private or public company's recent performance. This year applications were submitted for over 1,500 entrepreneurs. Flip through this slide show for a look at the overall national winner as well as the winners in each of the nine industry categories, as selected by independent judges.