Por Redaccion 
This year, with the occasion of being the gastronomic capital, there is a new award aimed at hospitality establishments that create the best menu ‘Alicante, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy’
Alicante, April 10, 2025. The City Council of Alicante has called the XXVII edition of the City of Alicante Awards for Commerce and Hospitality, to recognize the excellence, innovation, quality, commitment, dedication, and trajectory of the commercial, hospitality, artisanal, and service sectors. In total, there are 18 awards that will be presented at a Gala, which will take place on May 21, at the Teatro Principal, valued at 36,000 euros. Companies that wish to participate can do so until April 23, through the website
The Councilor for Commerce, Markets, and Hospitality, Lidia López, has emphasized that «the awards are a well-deserved institutional recognition of the city to our business and commercial fabric that, with their strength, dynamism, and involvement, raise the blinds daily, reinvent themselves, and make Alicante the best city to live in. We want to give them visibility and make them protagonists with these awards.»
Since the first edition in 1993, the City Council has already celebrated 27 editions, and this competition has become a reference in the city. Specifically, six award categories have been established for business trajectory, digitization, corporate social responsibility, entrepreneurship, ‘neighborhood commerce,’ and a new special award for the menu «Alicante, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2025».
In each category, three awards will be given with a first prize of 3,000 euros, second prize of 2,000 euros, and third prize of 1,000 euros. It is planned to pre-select a minimum of five finalists in each category with two expert and technical committees, and the awards will be granted by a jury on May 21.
The new call is born to boost and recognize the business activity carried out by commerce, hospitality establishments, and services throughout the year. The activity of these sectors, including our municipal Markets, contributes to making Alicante one of the best dynamic and competitive cities with a wide range of offerings for citizens and visitors.
Award for the menu ‘Alicante, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy’
Among the novelties of this edition, Councilor Lidia López highlighted the new award by stating that «it is aimed at the hospitality sector to select the best menu ‘Alicante, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy’ created on the occasion of our appointment as a gastronomic capital. One of the criteria that the jury will consider is the use of Alicante products and the creation of a quality and unique menu.»
Additionally, the jury will also reward the originality, design, and presentation of the dishes, as well as the notoriety and popularity of the menu. The first awardee will commit to maintaining this menu in their establishments until the end of 2025, and the second and third awarded restaurants will do so for a period of six months.
Registration until April 23 and evaluation
The City Council informs that applications must be submitted online by April 23 through the municipal website
The Councilor for Commerce has highlighted the economic potential and driving force of the sector, stating that «our businesses, shops, markets, and restaurants are the ones that bring the city to life and make it a unique and special place to visit, representing the engine of economic growth and employment.» At the same time, the councilor invited participation, saying «we want to receive many applications, and in this special edition, we also want our hospitality sector to participate and contribute with innovative and Alicante-inspired menu proposals to be internationally recognized.»
The awards are open to individuals, micro-enterprises, and small businesses with up to 49 employees, engaged in retail, hospitality, or active service activities located in commercial premises and urban areas, as well as commercial units in markets and stalls in municipal markets and food galleries.
ANNEX. AWARD CATEGORIES
Candidates can only apply for one of the following categories:
1. City of Alicante Award for Business Trajectory: aimed at established businesses and service and hospitality establishments in the city that stand out for a relevant business and professional trajectory, projecting notoriety and dynamism, including those where generational change has occurred.
2. City of Alicante Award for Digitization: intended for businesses and service and hospitality establishments that have advanced in the digitization process of their businesses, incorporating and/or using technologies for product management and sales, as well as implementing technologies aimed at improving communication with their customers.
3. City of Alicante Award for Corporate Social Responsibility: aimed at sustainable, ethical, inclusive, and accessible businesses and service and hospitality establishments that, in carrying out their activities (product, sales or production processes, and service), adopt practices that ensure fair working conditions, promote diversity and inclusion, actively participate in supporting disadvantaged groups, including people with disabilities, and/or promote responsible and sustainable management of natural resources, as well as promote responsible consumption.
4. City of Alicante Award for Entrepreneurship: aimed at professionals in commerce, service, and hospitality establishments who have started their activities as of January 1, 2022, and have a minimum of one year of experience at the closing date of this registration. Innovation in the business concept, the design of the premises, product quality, and services will be valued.
5. City of Alicante Award for ‘Neighborhood Commerce’: aimed at businesses and service and hospitality establishments that, due to their location and identity, play a social and cohesive role in their territorial environment (axis and/or neighborhood). The contribution of the premises and/or the product to the improvement of the environment and the vocation of service and the incorporation of good practices will be valued.
6. Special Award for the Menu «Alicante, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2025». Following the designation of the city of Alicante as the Spanish capital of gastronomy in 2025, a new category has been established, with the granting of a Special Award aimed at hospitality establishments that create the best menu «Alicante, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy.» The ability to create a quality, original, and unique menu and the use of Alicante products in its preparation will be valued.