The Hague, 14 May 2026 — Exceptional growth sees Deerns line up alongside stellar list of Dutch companies selected for the Koning Willem I Prize.
Known as the Oscars of Dutch business, the Koning Willem I Prize is a biennial celebration of entrepreneurship, decisiveness and innovation in Dutch businesses.
Shortlisted in the large business category, Deerns entered the awards to celebrate its growth and confirm its commitment to resilient and sustainable entrepreneurship.
Speaking of the competition, Tjerk van der Meer, CEO Deerns Group said: “It’s a huge honour to have been shortlisted for the Koning Willem I Prize. It is an extremely prestigious award that in the past has been won by globally successful companies that embody the values of the prize and strive to make a positive impact on people, the environment, and society.
“These values and ambitions closely align with our own as we continue to make great strides towards our growth targets, show the entrepreneurship to set new standards, demonstrate the decisiveness to realise them, and harness innovation as a continuous driver of improvement.”
Deerns’ entry focused on the company’s commitment to projects with high societal value that deliver exceptional environmental and wellbeing performance. The result of this commitment is boundary-pushing projects in technically challenging sectors such as airports, healthcare, real estate, life sciences, microelectronics and data centres.
The shortlisting is the latest in a successful period for Deerns with the company also having been named a FD Gazelle 2025 and more recently a FD Gazellen International 2026 – one of just 70 companies recognised for sustained growth and successful operations beyond the Netherlands. The company’s growth in Italy has similarly been rewarded with recognition as a Campioni di Crescita (Growth Champion) 2025. And Deerns was named one of the world’s top 225 International Design Firms in the annual ENR rankings and achieved impressive industry rankings in Brazil.
Tjerk continued: “Throughout our recent success we have maintained our commitment to creating a sustainable, healthy and futureproof built environment, supporting our team members and ensuring that together with our clients we are delivering projects that leave a positive and lasting legacy.
“For our efforts to be rewarded with recognition by the King Willem I Prize jury confirms the progress we’ve made and our bold and decisive leadership in complex and evolving sectors. We were very proud to be standing alongside top performing companies in the Netherlands. Congratulations to the winners in all categories.”
The winners were presented with their awards by Queen Maxima at a ceremony in Circe Amsterdam on 20 May, 2026.
