A total of 1,577 companies are competing for the 2024 SME of the Year Award, the benchmark award for the business world in Spain, which is organized annually by Banco Santander and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, and aims to highlight the work of small and medium-sized companies. companies as wealth generators and job creators. The numbers of participants will increase in the coming months, since registrations are lacking in Albacete and Zamora, where it will be held in September.
The SME Award, which reaches its eighth edition, recognizes essential aspects of the contribution to society and the economy of SMEs, which make up 99.8% of Spain’s business fabric: job creation, with special attention to permanent employment; boosting talent through training; international activity, focusing on the evolution of exports and the opening to new markets; innovation and digitalization initiatives and socially responsible projects.
Barcelona, ??with 104 registered companies; The Balearic Islands with 81 and Madrid with 73 are the territories with the highest participation. The award is held in 50 provinces and has the participation of 54 territorial Chambers of Commerce, 13 Territorial Directorates of Banco Santander and the main newspapers of the Spanish press.
In the coming days, the meetings of the provincial juries will begin, which will decide, among all the candidates, five winners: Provincial SME of the Year Award, Second Prize for Internationalization, Second Prize for Training and Employment, Second Prize for Innovation and Digitalization, and Second Prize for Sustainable Business. The provincial winners will compete for the 2024 National SME of the Year Award, which will be decided in the first quarter of next year. The winners of the four second prizes will also compete for the National Award, in their respective categories.
With this eighth edition, the SME of the Year Award is consolidated as the reference award for small and medium-sized Spanish companies. Last year, a total of 1,740 companies from the 50 provinces registered and 52 territorial Chambers of Commerce, 13 Territorial Directorates of Banco Santander and the main newspapers of the Spanish press participated.
