The time has come for one of the most anticipated highlights of SME Assembly 2024: the announcement of this year’s European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) winners!

The EEPA recognise and reward exceptional initiatives supporting entrepreneurship at the national, regional and local levels. With a record number of 442 entries from 29 countries this year, Germany, Turkey, Denmark, Serbia, Estonia, Greece, and France emerged as the winning countries across the different categories. Each presented unique projects that inspire, foster and facilitate business growth and innovation within their respective fields.

Let’s dive into this year’s exciting winning projects:

The Grand Jury Prize – Just Go Zero Tilos (Greece)

The Grand Jury Prize recognises the most creative and inspiring initiative promoting entrepreneurship in Europe. This year, it was awarded to the Municipality of Tilos (Greece) for their project Just Go Zero Tilos. The initiative implemented a technologically advanced system for waste management on the island of Tilos, supported by community consultation and awareness raising, to encourage a circular economy. 

Having successfully diverted 100% of waste from landfills and boosting the recycling rate to 93%, the project offers a replicable model for sustainable waste management for other communities. The engagement with the island’s residents and the business community, alongside use of low-carbon technology, was highly commended by the Jury. 

Category 1: Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit– Silicon Vilstal (Germany) 

Silicon Vilstal, a project by Silicon Vilstal Gug, is a social economy cluster connecting social enterprises with local businesses to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation in rural areas. By creative workshops and real-world testing of innovative products, Silicon Vilstal helps entrepreneurs develop social innovations, bring them to the market and showcase and refine their projects.

Category 2: Investing in Entrepreneurial Skills–GençBizz (Turkey)

GençBizz, launched by Junior Achievement Türkiye/Genç Başarı Eğitim Vakfı (GBEV), shapes the entrepreneurial skillset of high school students aged 14 to 18 with the goal of improving employability. 

The project stood out for bringing together students, teachers, companies, and mentors and providing them with online and offline training to boost knowledge in areas such as sustainability, financial literacy, and company management. The initiative now reaches 300,000 young people across Turkey, equipping them with the tools to embark on their own business journeys. 

Category 3: Supporting the Digital Transition–OsnaŽene (Serbia)

OsnaŽene (meaning "empowered" in Serbian) is a digital platform aimed at improving the business environment for women entrepreneurs. Established by Core International and Provincial Secretariat for Economy and Tourism of AP Vojvodina, the platform is dedicated to improving the business environment and encouraging digitalisation of women-owned businesses in Serbia and beyond. The project takes a multi-pronged approach, with a digital platform and web shop for selling, providing mentoring services, and accessing business training schemes. 

Category 4: Improving the Business Environment and Supporting the Internationalisation of Business – Tartu Film Fund (Estonia)

The Tartu Film Fund, launched by Tartu Loomemajanduskeskus (Tartu Centre for Creative Industries) supports economic development in South Estonia by attracting domestic and international film productions to the region. The fund promotes local film-related service providers, aiding their professional development and championing the potential of Southern Estonia’s filming locations on the world stage. 

Category 5: Supporting the Sustainable Transition – Just Go Zero Tilos (Greece)

In addition to winning the Grand Jury Prize, Just Go Zero Tilos has also won the fifth category, which is awarded to initiatives promoting environmental sustainability through initiatives such as championing the circular economy. 

Category 6: Responsible and Inclusive Entrepreneurship – POSITIV (France)

POSITIV was established to support residents from disadvantaged neighbourhoods in securing sustainable employment through a tailored support strategy. The programme is structured through regular meetings, group workshops, and one-on-one mentoring to cover all aspects of entrepreneurship – from creating a business plan to navigating administrative procedures. 

Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s European Enterprise Promotion Awards and thanks to all the participants for their inspiring contributions to fostering business growth and innovation!

You can download below the EEPA Compendium 2024.