Richard Speer, president and CEO of Montreal-based Attraction Images, won the EY Quebec Entrepreneur of the Year prize in the media and entertainment category.

The EY Quebec Entrepreneur of the Year prize recognizes entrepreneurs from across all areas of business. Award finalists are selected based on leadership, financial success, vision and social responsibility. The Entrepreneur of the Year awards are given out in regional, national and global award programs. The Quebec award winners were announced at a gala held at Arsenal Montreal on Thursday evening.

Other award winners in the media categories included Montreal’s Budge Studios, a freemium kids app company that develops and publishes apps for smartphones and tablets that showcase children’s properties such as Caillou, Strawberry Shortcake and The Smurfs. Budge Studios’ Noemie Dupuy, Michael Elman and David Lupes won the award in the emerging entrepreneur category for their work with the company.

Manon Barbeau of Wapikoni mobile was honoured with a special citation in the social entrepreneur category, which honours an entrepreneur who has driven large-scale social change and improved the quality of life for other people. Barbeau was honored for his travelling studio project, in which Barbeau takes a mobile studio to Aboriginal communities to run audio-visual workshops for film and music.