Organized in collaboration with Gen Global Italy, StartupItalia!, Tree, Italia Startup, Iban, ItaliaCamp and Starboost it focuses specifically on encouraging midsized cities (50,000-250,000 inhabitants) to create an innovation-friendly environment to generate new business ideas, improve on existing ones, and attract people and capital.
Cagliari and Reggio Emilia were the winners of the first two editions. Currently the third edition of the contest is facing its decisive phase, with twelve cities involved.
5 phases
1 – Application collection
Any citizen who is interested can submit an application on behalf of their city, after registering at www.citieschallenge.eu. META Group, who are coordinating the contest, will then send these proposals to the mayor of the relevant city, who must submit the formal official application.
2 – Selection of finalists
After the applications have been collected, they will be evaluated by a jury of experts, which will choose the finalist cities.
3 – Public vote
For a set period of time, Italian citizens can vote for whichever city, among the finalists, they consider to be the most entrepreneurial of Italy. To vote, they must click on "Vote now" on the homepage of the contest website fill the google form.
4 – Final pitching event
Representatives of the finalist cities will make a 5-minute pitch (presenting the city) in front of a jury, with the aim of demonstrating the importance and effectiveness of the entrepreneurial ecosystem of their city.
5 – Presentation to GEC
The winner will have the opportunity to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Congress event and present his/her city. GEC 2019 will be held in Bahrein on 15-18 of April.
The winner is chosen by making a compendium between the popular vote (20%), the submitted documentation (50%) and the final pitch (30%).
See also: What is the most entrepreneurial Italian city in 2019?