The Hague, 21 May 2026 — Exceptional growth sees Deerns now also lined up alongside a distinguished list of Dutch companies nominated for the Koning Willem I Prize.
Sometimes referred to as “the Oscars of Dutch business”, the Koning Willem I Prize is a biennial celebration of entrepreneurship, decisiveness and innovation in Dutch businesses.
Amongst the early nominees in the large business category, Deerns was part of the awards to celebrate its growth and confirm its commitment to resilient and sustainable entrepreneurship.
Speaking on the nomination, Tjerk van der Meer, CEO of Deerns Group, said:
“We were truly honoured to be among the nominees for the Koning Willem I Prize. It is a highly prestigious award, previously granted to globally successful companies that embody its values and strive to make a positive impact on people, the environment, and society. These values closely align with our own”
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: “Being recognised by the King Willem I Prize jury reflects the progress we’ve made and our positive and lasting legacy in complex, evolving sectors. We were proud to be nominated and congratulate all finalists and winners across the categories.”
The winners were presented with their awards by Queen Maxima at a ceremony in Circa Amsterdam on 20 May, 2026.
