Competitions

In 2024, Germany and Austria will once again award the Environmental Management Prize to German companies in two categories:

Best measure Climate, nature and environmental protection

A selected and already implemented measure or an implemented project of the organisation that has contributed to the improvement of environmental, nature and climate protection will be assessed. Organisations with a valid EMAS registration or a valid ISO 14001 certificate as well as organisations that apply another standardised, externally audited environmental or sustainability management approach can submit applications.

Evaluation criteria:

• Environmental performance: transparency and traceability, quantitative or qualitative assessment, long-term improvement;
• Concretisation of the measure;
• Presentation of the innovation content;
• Sustainability and long-term impact on stakeholders

Best EMAS environmental statement

The current EMAS environmental statement of an organisation registered in Germany is assessed. This must have been validated by an authorised, independent environmental verifier.

Evaluation criteria:

• Environmental management system: Clarity and significance of the environmental policy, strategic integration of environmental issues into business processes, legal certainty, traceability of the structural and process organisation;
• Environmental aspects and environmental impacts: Recording, evaluation, transparency of presentation;
• Environmental performance, environmental programme and environmental objectives: Key figures, comprehensibility, traceability and continuous performance improvement;
• External and internal environmental communication: employee involvement, graphic design and design.

The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce will accept applications until 28 June 2024 by email at emas@dihk.de .

You can download the application forms for each category from an external server using the links below. Please note that the files are not barrier-free.

• Best measure for climate, nature and environmental protection
  (A complete application consists of the completed application form and a current environmental statement or other description of the measure/project).
• Best EMAS environmental statement
  (A complete application consists of a completed application form and a current environmental statement).

All details can be found here: Environmental Management Award 2024 (PDF, 91 KB)

In 2024, the town of Beckum will once again be awarding a climate protection prize. There are no limits to creativity when selecting projects for the climate protection award: from avoiding packaging waste, joint waste collection campaigns and climate working groups to species protection projects for endangered species with near-natural gardens and insect hotels as well as innovative technical projects, applications are welcome.

The focus here is on personal initiative in order to become active together locally for environmental protection and thereby encourage other Beckum residents to join in. The aim of the Climate Protection Award is therefore not least to recognise this civic commitment in conjunction with environmentally-oriented action.

Private individuals, companies, clubs, associations, educational establishments and social institutions that have their place of residence or business in Beckum can take part. The climate protection project must have been realised within the last 18 months prior to the application or be so far advanced that initial results are already available. Participants who have already received an award in the past may not participate again.

The Climate Protection Award is endowed with 2,000 euros. If necessary, the prize money can be divided among several projects.

Further information, the guidelines for awarding the prize and the application form can be found here.

Application deadline is 31.08.2024.

Employer attractiveness is the key feature when it comes to positioning companies on the recruitment market. Retaining their own employees and finding new ones is crucial for the success of a company.

With the "Attractive employer in the district of Warendorf" competition, the Gesellschaft für Wirtschaftsförderung im Kreis Warendorf supports companies that demonstrate a wealth of ideas and entrepreneurial foresight. Showcase your employer strengths and increase your reach.

Participation in the competition is independent of the size of the company. Data is collected in a personal on-site interview. An independent jury of regional and national experts decides on the winners.

The next competition will start in September 2024.

The contact person at the Gesellschaft für Wirtschaftsförderung im Kreis Warendorf is Jessica Kleine | kleine@gfw-waf.de | 02521 8505-86

bauma, the world's leading trade fair for construction, building materials, mining machinery, construction vehicles and equipment, takes place in Munich every three years. In 2025, the trade fair will take place from 7 to 13 April. The bauma Innovation Award 2025 will be presented for the fourteenth time as part of this event.

Applications are possible in the following categories:

• Climate protection
• Digitisation
• Machine technology
• Building
• Research.

The innovations submitted must be related to the construction, building materials, mining machinery, construction industry or building materials industry. The jury primarily assesses the future viability and practical relevance of the innovation. This time, additional attention will be paid to the significance for climate protection.

Detailed information on the criteria for each category can be found here.

The application period starts on 2 May and ends on 23 August 2024.

The documents can only be submitted via the portal. Please be sure to observe the conditions of participation and category description.

Applicants can access the application portal directly via the "Participate" button.

The competition is aimed at journeymen and master craftsmen (dependent) from the skilled trades, self-employed craftsmen who are registered in the skilled trades register or who fulfil the requirements for registration in the skilled trades register, as well as students and graduates of design colleges, design academies and skilled trades colleges, provided they can prove that they have passed at least the journeyman's examination in a skilled trade.

Every two years, DESIGNTALENTE can enter the competition and submit their design objects in the following subject areas: clothing & textiles, furniture, objects & sculpture, jewellery, living & outdoor areas and media.

The winners will each receive prize money of 3,000 euros.

Click here for the conditions of participation.

The application deadline is 2 June 2024.

Click here to register.

The BMWK's "Digital Start-up of the Year 2024" award is aimed at young digital companies.

Companies that have received support from one of the following BMWK start-up initiatives are eligible to participate:

• EXIST start-up grant
• EXIST research transfer
• Winners of the start-up competition - digital innovations
• Investments by High-Tech Gründerfonds
• Investments by a business angel via the BMWK INVEST programme - grant for venture capital
• Finalists of the German Accelerator
• Nomination of one of the 12 Digital Hubs

Further requirements for participation are

• The company is established as a corporation (UG, GmbH or AG) with its registered office in Germany.
• The company was not founded before 2021.
• Innovative information and communication technologies are a central component of the company's range of products and services.
• The company generated a turnover of at least €100,000 in 2023 or in the last 12 months (deadline: start of the application phase on 18 March 2024).

Start-ups and young companies that have already been honoured as "ICT start-up of the year" or "Digital start-up of the year" by the BMWK are not eligible to participate.

Prizes will be awarded for the first three places. First place will receive prize money of €50,000, second place €30,000 and the third-placed company will be awarded €20,000 .

Application deadline is 13.05.2024 (end of deadline) by e-mail in PDF format to startupdesjahres@de.digital.

You can find all information about the price here

There are successful solutions to the challenges of sustainability in all sectors. Now it is a matter of spreading them. The DNP therefore recognises the pioneers in 100 sectors based on intensive research of publicly available information with the help of AI and applications.

Around 220 expert jurors from research, associations, consulting and civil society decide on role models for change in all sectors of the German economy. These are the 100 companies that the experts consider to have made particularly effective, successful and exemplary contributions to transformation in their sectors. They symbolise a joint effort that unites rather than divides all companies in an industry.

The prize will be awarded on Thursday, 28 November 2024, as part of the 17th German Sustainability Day at the MARITIM Hotel Düsseldorf.

Further information can be found here.