Social Economy Europe (SEE) has launched the Second Edition of the European Social Economy Awards. This year, SEE wants specially to recognize the efforts and contributions of social economy enterprises and organisations for the digital and green transitions.
The Awards, replicated every two years, serve as inspiration to other social economy actors and citizens aiming at becoming entrepreneurs, activists and change-makers. They also aim at raising the visibility of the social economy, in order to continue putting on the public agenda the needs and potential of SE.
The Awards have a pan-European focus being also open to initiatives from the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership, EFTA countries, the UK, Turkey, and Southern Mediterranean Countries.
This year, the Social Economy Awards will have four categories:
Social innovation: For those organisations working on Inclusion of vulnerable or marginalised individuals; on people with disabilities; gender equality; youth social entrepreneurship and inclusion of young people in the labour market; innovative social services, etc.
Skills: In the European Year of Skills, this category aims to award organisations working on upskilling and reskilling social economy employees, potential entrepreneurs, students, and/or on the development of training and courses related to social economy, such as educational cooperatives, VET cooperative centres, universities, etc.
Green transition. For organisations working on renewable energy, housing, sustainable mobility, circular economy, water management, sustainable food production among many others.
Digitalization. For social economy initiatives operating with an important focus on technological innovation and/or working in the action areas of the Digital Transition.
Who is eligible?
Social economy enterprises and organisations, such as cooperatives, mutuals, associations, foundations, social enterprises, ethical and alternative banks and financiers, micro-credit institutions, labour societies and other similar social economy forms; whose head office is located in an EU-27 Member State or in the following regions: the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia), the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine), Turkey, Southern Mediterranean Countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia), the UK and the EFTA Member States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).
Applications for each one of these categories can be submitted on this Google forms by August 31, 2023.
A jury formed by social economy experts, researchers, and representatives of EU Institutions will select three finalists for each category. One member of each organisation selected as finalist will be invited to the Gala of the Awards on November 14, in San Sebastian (Spain).
