Alicante is hoping to swap sun, sea and sangria headlines for something a little different: innovation.
The city has been shortlisted alongside Liverpool in the UK, Riga in Latvia, Grenoble in France, plus Rotterdam and The Hague in the Netherlands, to compete for the title of European Capital of Innovation.
The award, handed out by the European Commission, isn’t just about shiny tech hubs or fancy gadgets. It recognises cities that dare to experiment, open up their governance to fresh ideas, and become role models for others across Europe.
Over the coming weeks, each city will have a private online hearing before the jury. That’s where officials will pitch their case and, hopefully, impress enough to make it through to the final shortlist.
Only three cities in each category will make it to the finals, with the winners announced in early December at a ceremony in Turin, the current holder of the title.
Aside from bragging rights, there’s a €1 million prize for the winning city and €100,000 each for the two runners-up. Not a bad incentive to keep innovating!
