Are you self-employed or a businesswoman? This is your opportunity

• From today, two prestigious calls for applications are open to reward the best self-employed and businesswomen: the CaixaBank Professional Autonomous Woman Award and the CaixaBank Businesswoman Award.

In the business world, women have demonstrated their ability to lead and transform key sectors of the economy. Are you one of them? Would you like your efforts and dedication to be recognised nationwide? Now is the time, as two prestigious calls for applications are open to honour the best self-employed and businesswomen.

If you are self-employed, you have until June 13th to take part in the fifth edition of the CaixaBank Professional Autonomous Woman Award, through which CaixaBank acknowledges the professional excellence of self-employed women in Spain. If you have tax residence within the national territory and have been in business for at least two years in any sector, you can fill in the registration form available on www.caixabank.es/premioA  

Searching for the best self-employed professionals

These awards consist of two phases: a territorial phase, where the best projects from various autonomous communities will be rewarded, with 11 winners (one from each CaixaBank Territorial Directorate). Among the 11 projects, five will be selected to compete for the national award, which in the last edition went to Irache Echeverría from Navarra, with her agricultural-livestock project focused on dairy sheep farming.  

The national award winner will receive €6,000 to invest in business and personal training, along with an official certificate and a promotional campaign through the communication channels of the Self-Employed Workers Association (ATA). 

Additionally, one of the territorial phase winners will be selected to attend a course from the Founderz digital business school's training offer.

To choose the best projects, the jury—comprising CaixaBank executives and independent experts—will assess the candidates’ business excellence, both in terms of the success of their business activity and their professional career. The aspects considered include the degree of development and success of the business, applied innovation, impact on job creation and environmental and sustainability aspects, among others.

If you are a businesswoman, these awards are for you  

If you are a businesswoman, a shareholder of a company, and actively involved in the day-to-day business operations, you can apply for the ninth edition of the CaixaBank Businesswoman Award, with which the bank recognises the talent and professional excellence of leading businesswomen for their track record, strategic vision, capacity for innovation and transformational leadership.

If you are interested, you can submit your application until May 9th via web CaixaBank Premio Empresaria The eligibility criteria include at least three years of business activity and a minimum annual turnover of $1.5 million.

Candidates will be evaluated based on the strength and development and consolidation of the company’s goods and services, its international trade activity, degree of innovation, job creation, financial stability, environmental impact, sustainability, and their support for diversity. Additionally, the merits of the candidates will also be taken into account, both in terms of the success of their business activity and their professional career, their leadership capacity and their participation in female mentoring initiatives and networks of other women entrepreneurs or business leadership groups.

These awards also consist of two phases: In a first regional phase, a panel of CaixaBank executives will select 12 regional winners that will join the exclusive LinkedIn Businesswoman Award Community, which fosters networking between the winners of all the previous editions and gives them access to exclusive activities. 

Among all the winners at regional level, a national winner will then be chosen, who will be able to attend an event of international prestige to connect with leading global businesswomen. In the last edition, the winner was Judith Viader, CEO of Frit Ravich. 

Commitment to business excellence

CaixaBank recognises the key role that self-employed professionals and businesswomen play in the economy and launches these awards as a gesture of support and recognition for this vital group. 

These awards are part of the CaixaBank Wengage diversity programme, a cross-disciplinary project developed by members from all sectors of the institution, promoting meritocracy and equal opportunities, while fostering diversity in all its dimensions—gender, functional, generational, cultural...

Additionally, CaixaBank promotes academic excellence awards (WONNOW Awards), sports initiatives (sponsorship of the women's basketball national team), and rural development programmes (AgroBank Chair: Women, Business, and Rural Areas, and studies on the gender gap in the agricultural sector by Closingap).