- The MWCapital Awards: Technologies for a Sustainable Future are organised in collaboration with GSMA Foundry, B Lab Spain, the Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence, and Red.es, who will help promote and support the winning projects.
- An international jury will select the most innovative digital transformation initiatives with the greatest sustainability impact.
- The first edition received 157 applications from 34 countries. The six winners will be showcased at the next MWC Barcelona, and one of them will soon begin a pilot project in the city.
Mobile World Capital Barcelona has announced the second edition of the MWCapital Awards: Technologies for a Sustainable Future, the international awards organised in collaboration with GSMA Foundry, B Lab Spain, the Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence, and Red.es.
The announcement comes as MWC25 Kigali opens its doors today to connectivity leaders and innovators gathering in Rwanda to deliver the progress and partnerships needed for sustainable economic growth across Africa.
Following the success of the first edition, which attracted 157 projects from 34 countries, the new call aims to promote and give visibility to the best international innovations that use technology to tackle major social and environmental challenges through digital transformation. These are projects where AI, big data, blockchain, or smart sensors unleash their full potential for the common good, harnessing advanced technologies to address urgent global issues such as inequality, climate change, access to healthcare, urban management, or digital inclusion, among others.
With this initiative, MWCapital highlights the role of technology as a driving force for transformation towards a more resilient and sustainable model, rewarding innovation that contributes most effectively to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through a triple impact: economic, social, and environmental.
Five categories and a special award in Barcelona
Responsible digital transition is a global challenge to which organisations and initiatives of all kinds contribute. For this reason, the MWCapital Awards recognise the best projects across five categories: Corporates, SMEs and startups, Non-profit organisations and Purpose-driven Businesses (SBICs), Academia and research centres, and public institutions. In addition, they grant a special distinction, the Barcelona Horizon Award, to the project with the greatest potential to foster sustainability within Barcelona’s digital ecosystem.
The winners will gain international exposure, with the opportunity to showcase their work at MWC27 Barcelona and take part in the congress’s discussions on the future of digital sustainability. They will also receive support from the awards’ strategic partners: B Lab Spain, based on the high standards of the B Corp movement, will provide tailored action plans and sustainability impact workshops for the finalists, while the GSMA Foundry will boost the visibility of the winning projects through its global innovation platforms.
The Barcelona Horizon Award also includes up to €50,000 grant to help the winning project scale its technology by developing a pilot project that promotes positive change in the city.
Who can take part, and how are the winners selected?
The call for entries to the MWCapital Awards is open until 18 March 2026. Projects from around the world are eligible, provided they contribute to the SDGs, are partially or fully implemented, and show measurable results. Organisations submitting entries must also have been active for at least 12 months.
The awards will culminate in June 2026 with a ceremony in Barcelona. The selection process is rigorous and takes place in two phases. The first round will shortlist fifteen finalists, who will benefit from tailored workshops designed to measure and enhance their impact and will attend the awards ceremony. After this stage, an external international jury made up of prominent figures in sustainability and innovation will choose the winners in each category, to be announced at the ceremony.
MWC Barcelona to showcase the best innovations from the first edition
The MWCapital Awards are a strategic initiative of the Mobile World Capital Foundation in its mission to lead the responsible digital transition, while also reinforcing Barcelona’s position as a global benchmark in both digital innovation and sustainable development.
The winners of the first edition, held between 2024 and 2025, were: Technology with Purpose project TALLK, UNFEAR, and IMPULSE by Samsung (Spain); Julieta, a breast cancer detection device by Salva Health (Colombia); SIMPaCT, a smart irrigation system by the University of Sydney (Australia); Nut4Health, a blockchain platform to fight child malnutrition by SIC4Change (Mauritania); and Data-Driven City for Citizens, an AI-powered smart city initiative by the city of Tampere (Finland).
The Barcelona Horizon Award went to Embrace the Forest (Brazil), a solution for wildfire prevention and management using artificial intelligence.
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