Prizes for businesses in Castelló: the Castelló de la Plana city council is giving 40 prizes, almost all of €10,000, in the first edition of the Castellón Emprende awards. Autónomos, companies, shops and organisations with a tax address, registered office or workplace in the city can take part. Applications are online only until 30 October 2026.
What changes for you today
If your business, shop or organisation has a tax address, registered office or workplace in Castelló de la Plana, has a track record you can prove and meets the requirements of its category, you can apply until 30 October. If you have none of these in Castelló de la Plana or have not started your activity yet, nothing changes for you. Categories, requirements and documents are in the card Castellón Emprende awards 2026.
What happened
The local government board approved the rules on 6 August 2026. The summary was published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Castellón (Boletín Oficial de la Provincia de Castellón, BOP) no. 95 of 8 August. According to the council website, the window runs from 10 August to 30 October, both inclusive. In total, €398,750 is available. You can find the call in the National Grants Database (Base de Datos Nacional de Subvenciones, BDNS) under number 923875.
How it works now
Until now the city council did not have these awards: this is the first edition. The rules for registering and for the autónomo's taxes do not change because of them, as the card on taxes for a foreign autónomo explains.
What changes
- 6 categories: young entrepreneur (2 prizes), woman entrepreneur of the year (2), local shop (10), generational handover (10), social innovation or employment projects (8) and social economy organisations (8).
- Amount: €10,000 per prize; in the last two categories, the eighth prize is €9,375.
- They reward what is already done: according to the rules, they do not fund future projects and you do not have to justify the spending afterwards.
- Competition: you need at least 60 points out of 100, and only what is proven with documents is scored.
- Foreigners: the rules set no nationality requirement; in two categories they ask an individual for legal residence and a work permit in Spain.
What happens next
- The window closes on 30 October 2026.
- The maximum time to decide is 2 months, and you get the decision by electronic notification.
- Prizes are handed over at a public ceremony within the 2 months after the decision, and paid in a single payment.
What you can do
- Check in the card whether you fit a category.
- Ask the tax agency (Agencia Tributaria) for the census status certificate (certificado de situación censal): it is required and forms 036 or 037 are not accepted.
- Prepare the Annex II report, up to 10 pages, and a video of up to 3 minutes.
- Apply at the electronic office of the Castelló de la Plana city council, procedure «Premios Castellón Emprende», with a digital certificate or Cl@ve.
Official source: regulatory rules and call, Castelló de la Plana city council website.
Informational only; check the official source and a professional for your specific case.