Benefit Competition, applications open for the Brindisi stage

From 15 December - and until 23 January - applications are now open to take part in the second stage of the Benefit Competition, to be held in Brindisi on 12 March 2026. The initiative, which saw its first round in Milan, is promoted by the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, and aims to give visibility and recognition to the best entrepreneurial experiences that have embraced or intend to adopt the model of benefit companies, demonstrating how it is possible to combine economic success and positive social impact. The competition is aimed at all companies and start-ups, both already benefit and not yet. Hence, even companies that are not yet benefit societies but wish to pursue this path, envisaging in the exercise of their economic activity to extend their horizons beyond the traditional profit-making purpose, embracing a broader and more responsible vision of doing business, can participate. All application information and regulations are available at https://www.mimit.gov.it/it/benefit/competition

The initiative, with five territorial stages, aims to ensure a balanced geographical representation and the valorisation of the different entrepreneurial excellences, expression of the territories of reference. The competition is, however, national and therefore open to all companies based in the country, provided they present an initiative that sees part of the profit invested in the creation of value for the community, the environment and the territory. Ten projects will be selected from the companies applying for each stage, in this case for the Brindisi stage: the most innovative and with the greatest potential for positive impact. At the territorial stage, the ten projects will present themselves before a qualified jury of experts in the sector, institutional representatives and local stakeholders, who will select the three best among them. In making its choice, the jury relies on a number of criteria, including the initiative's ability to generate shared value and positive impact in the reference context, the integration of the initiative into the company's business model, and clarity of presentation and storytelling.

The Benefit Competition is not just a 'competition' but an opportunity to improve one's visibility and network. In fact, participating companies can present their projects to qualified audiences of sector experts, potential partners, investors and institutional representatives, a context that favours the creation of contacts and connections for possible collaborations. The winners will also gain visibility on the official channels of the Ministry and media partners and will automatically access the national final, scheduled for early 2027.

The objective of the MIMIT initiative is to raise awareness of the benefit model and the benefits it can bring to companies, also in light of the fact that it has been found that adopting this type of model also brings competitive advantages. Among these, the main ones are having an enhanced reputation, as integrating common benefit purposes allows companies to position themselves as credible, transparent and accountable actors. A second advantage found is attractiveness to customers, partners and investors: the market increasingly rewards companies with clear and measurable objectives in terms of impact. In addition, more solid economic performance is found: numerous cases show that a better reputation translates into greater trust, loyalty and, consequently, increases in turnover. According to the latest data from the Observatory of the Brindisi-Taranto Chamber of Commerce and Infocamere, benefit companies at the end of June 2025 exceeded 5,000 (they are 5,161), 24% more than a year earlier, and together they employ about 234,000 people for a production value of EUR 67.7 billion. The figures of the National SB Research also indicate that between 2021 and 2023 they recorded an increase in cumulative turnover in median terms of 26% compared to 15.4% more than non-benefit companies, while 62% expanded their workforce (compared to 43%). And there are numerous benefit companies among the Sole 24 Ore-Statista 2026 growth leaders.