Banco Santander, the Alicante Chamber of Commerce, and the Alcoy Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Spanish Chamber and the Information newspaper, announce the eighth edition of the SME of the Year Award. This contest recognizes the work of small and medium-sized enterprises across the community as wealth creators and job makers in their daily operations. Submissions opened on February 23 and will close at 8:00 PM on April 8.
All small and medium-sized enterprises from the province with fewer than 250 employees and annual revenue below 50 million euros at the end of 2023, and with their registered office in the province of Alicante, may participate.
In addition to selecting a company as SME of the Year, the jury may award four runners-up in the following categories: Internationalization, Innovation and Digitalization, Training and Employment, and Sustainable SME. The winning company will represent the region for the National SME of the Year 2024, with the national prize decision taking place in the first quarter of 2025. Likewise, the runners-up will compete for the national prize in their respective categories.
The SMEs interested can register by the April 8 deadline.
How to participate
All interested companies must complete the registration form available on the websites of the Alicante Chamber of Commerce and the Alcoy Chamber of Commerce, where the competition rules can also be consulted. When selecting the winners, the jury will assess merits such as job creation, with special emphasis on permanent employment; employee training initiatives; the company’s international expansion; digitization and innovation efforts; and sustainable projects in which they have participated.
Since the first edition, 9,176 SMEs have taken part. The SME of the Year Award continues to solidify its status as the benchmark prize for Spanish small and medium-sized enterprises in this new edition. The previous edition saw participation from 1,740 companies across 50 provinces, 52 territorial Chambers of Commerce, 13 Santander Bank regional offices, and Spain’s major media outlets.