• The 11th edition of the VLC Startup Awards gala is here. Organized by the City of Valencia through Valencia Innovation Capital, in collaboration with Startup Valencia, the event has established itself as Valencia’s premier gala honoring the city’s most innovative projects.
• This year, there are €60,000 in prizes, divided into 10 categories.
• View the terms and conditions by clicking here
• Sign up by filling out this form!

The purpose of this call for entries is to establish the rules governing the awarding of cash prizes intended to recognize the efforts made by entrepreneurs and startups in the city of Valencia. Ten categories have been established, and the prize in each category will be awarded by the Valencian Community Foundation for Strategic Promotion, Development, and Urban Innovation to the winning startup in each category:

• Special Category: Best Startup 2026. Award for the best startup in the city of Valencia. The award includes a cash prize of €10,000.
• Special Category: Best Seed-Stage Startup 2026. Award for the best seed-stage startup in the city of Valencia. The award includes a cash prize of €10,000.
• Categorías sectoriales 2026. Premios a las mejores startups, según categoría sectorial, de la ciudad de València. El premio incluye dotación económica de 5.000€ para cada una de las ganadoras de las siguientes categorías sectoriales:
  • Best GovTech Startup 2026 (startups focused on innovation in public administration through the use of data, artificial intelligence, automation, and innovative procurement, contributing to the modernization of public services and the improvement of the relationship between the government and citizens)
  • Best Agrotech Startup 2026 (startups focused on solutions for smart agriculture, traceability, sustainability, and the technological transformation of agri-food systems)
  • Best Digital Health and Wellness Startup 2026 (startups focused on innovative technological solutions for health, prevention, telemedicine, wellness, and improving people’s quality of life)
  • Best Semiconductor Startup 2026 (startups focused on the design, development, manufacturing, or application of technologies related to microelectronics and semiconductors, and on cultivating specialized talent in this strategic field)
  • Best Emergency, Security, and Defense Startup 2026 (startups focused on the development of dual-use technologies, solutions for emergency management, urban resilience, critical infrastructure protection, and security)
  • Best Startup in Immersive Technologies and Video Games 2026 (startups focused on developing solutions based on virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, the metaverse, video games, and other digital creativity applications)
  • Best Urban Tech Startup 2026 (startups focused on innovative solutions for energy, mobility, climate, urban infrastructure, and improving sustainability and quality of life in cities)
  • Best Sustainable Tourism Startup 2026 (startups focused on developing technological solutions for the digital transformation of tourism, sustainable destination management, the optimization of tourist flows, and the enhancement of the visitor experience)

Eligible startups may enter only one industry category.

The awarding of the prizes will be subject to the principles of publicity, open competition, transparency, objectivity, equality, and non-discrimination.

The application period closes on October 25.

Are you a startup and want to apply?