• The "Emprende en Rural" project selects four projects in Alicante in recognition of their quality.
• The Sud d'Alacant Local Action Group held a conference where it invited stakeholders from the world of rural entrepreneurship to reflect, debate, and attend the awards ceremony.

Four projects led by rural entrepreneurs have received prizes worth €1,000 from the Sud d'Alacant Local Action Group ( GAL ASIR , Alicante ). These awards are part of the Emprende en Rural training project , which concluded on May 12 with a workshop with various stakeholders, organized by the GAL in collaboration with CaixaBank. The awards ceremony was attended by rural entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship support organizations, and established companies such as AvanzaTour , Genion , and Señorios de Relleu .

The awards recognize the quality of the projects and their alignment with the strategic objectives of the southern region of Alicante, such as supporting entrepreneurship and self-employment in the region through information, support, and advice; and promoting the creation of small businesses in key sectors that diversify the business community.

New rural businesses

The projects that received the awards were the following:

• WEITEC (Orihuela): A new company dedicated to digital solutions for agriculture and renewable energy. They use drones and sensors. Its CEO, Mario Quesada, accepted the award.
• Naturalicia (Elche) : , its business focuses on natural cosmetics with essential oils, all based on the circular economy and ethical production. Alicia Sendra, CEO of Naturalicia, was present to collect the award.
• Xiulet Crafts (August): Created to showcase local craftsmanship. They also include guided tours and tourist packages of the municipality. Conchi Pellín and Beatriz Muñoz, founders of the company, collected the award alongside Agost's local development agent and sociocultural manager.
• Coolife Agency (Busot): dedicated to representing streamers —professional online content creators on social networks and platforms—and advertising, particularly in the video game sector. Its CEO, Patricia García, accepted the award.

Awards and training day

The event also included a panel discussion on "The Possibilities of the Rural World for Entrepreneurship," with speakers from the agri-food and rural entrepreneurship sectors. This highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship training for achieving results, as well as the role of entrepreneurship support organizations.

Another roundtable discussion on "The Challenges of the Rural World for Entrepreneurship" featured participants from the Emprende en Rural program and featured projects led by women. The importance of "soft" skills for entrepreneurship, such as adaptability, constant learning, mental toughness, and active listening, was highlighted.