Innovacat Awards 2026: ten editions and new horizons

The Innovacat Awards celebrate their tenth edition with a major novelty: for the first time they are open to companies and projects from all over Catalonia. The business innovation competition thus expands its territorial scope and also its economic endowment, which amounts to 60,000 euros. Biennial in nature, the awards celebrate twenty years since their creation in 2005, when they were born with the aim of promoting and energizing the economic and productive fabric of Osona.

Promoted by the Manlleu City Council, the Innovacat Awards have the support and commitment of Catalan companies Benito, BonPreu, Casa Tarradellas, Esbelt, Girbau, Isern, and Seidor. Their commitment to innovation, talent, and support for new business projects contributes to strengthening competitiveness and the generation of qualified employment in the territory.

The call, which recognizes business dynamism, talent, creativity, innovation, economic and social sustainability, digitalization, social transformation, and rootedness in the territory, distributes 60,000 euros in four awards: a first prize of 25,000 euros, a second of 20,000 euros, a third of 10,000 euros, and an honorable mention of 5,000 euros.

'Feedback' versus 'prompts'

Faced with the irruption of artificial intelligence, the Innovacat Awards want to vindicate the value of people by rewarding effort, business risk, and the desire to undertake. In this sense, the Vic-based studio Zoo Studio has devised the creative concept and graphic identity for this edition with a visual proposal that dispenses with images and logos to opt for a clean and minimalist interface.

The campaign explores the dialogue between artificial intelligence and humans, focusing on everything that technology cannot replicate: intuition, the ability to take risks, persistence, or passion. The objective is to give value to the participating people and vindicate human language,

feedback, and experience in the face of the logic of prompts and the automation of AI.

Call for applications and registrations

Companies interested in applying for the Innovacat Awards can submit their candidacy until July 10 through Premisinnovacat.com, where they will find all the information and links to register, or directly at the Electronic Office of the Manlleu City Council.

The Innovacat have become a meeting place for companies, ideas, people, and institutions, reaffirming year after year the commitment to local, sustainable, and innovative development, and aspire to increase the number of registrations for this year.

From the first edition (2005) to the ninth (2024), more than 330 business projects have gone through the Innovacat Awards, consolidating the event as a benchmark in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Catalonia.

The last edition was marked by sustainability, health, and digitalization. Albiral company took home the award in the "Empresa Avança" (Advancing Company) category for its audio and video technology for operating rooms and luxury boats, and Sheets, for the production of laundry detergent in strip format, received the distinction in the "Empresa Jove" (Young Company) category. Ohfix Entretainment, Awayter, Aerobia depuració, Kpsdrons, and Can Lab Cosmetics were other notable winners in the "accèssits" (runner-up) section.

The 2026 edition expects the "Premi Catalunya" (Catalonia Award) for the best company at the national level.