The State of Berlin is looking for Berlin’s Social
Enterprises 2026!
The Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises is looking for particularly innovative, sustainable or participatory social enterprises in Berlin that have a convincing impact.
The nominated companies will be presented at the award ceremony on 19 May 2026 at re:publica in Berlin – one of Europe’s largest festivals for digital society and innovation.
Awards will be given to companies or organisations in three categories:
- Planet
- People
- Transformation
The application phase has ended. An independent jury is reviewing and evaluating all submissions. Five organizations will be nominated in each of the three categories.
Jury 2026
The nominees and winners are selected by an independent jury that brings together diverse perspectives from business, social entrepreneurship, and civil society.
Category Planet
- Jonas Nipkow – Project Lead “Social Economy Berlin” (SEND e.V.)
- Deniz Ficicioglu – CEO & Founder, wunderfish GmbH
- Daniel Büchle – CEO, afb social & green IT
Category People
- Ela Kagel – Co-founder & Board Member, Platform Coops eG
- Jan-Philipp Heinisch – Startup-Wirtschaft und Existenzgründungen, Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe
- Anne Jeglinski – Deputy Managing Director and Head of District Offices, Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband Berlin e.V.
Category Transformation
- Antje Meyer – CoFounder & CoCEO, nextblooming GmbH
- Lukas Marzi – Founder, Marziplan
- Gülcan Nitsch – Founder & CEO, Yeşil Çember – ökologisch. interkulturell. gGmbh
Award Ceremony
At the award ceremony on May 19 at re:publica, the 15 nominated organizations will be presented and the winners will be announced.
Three organizations per category will be awarded:
- 1st place: €5,000
- 2nd place: €3,000
- 3rd place: €2,000
The ceremony will be hosted by moderator Darlene Schwabroch.
A keynote by Ela Kagel will provide additional insights and complement the program.
Afterwards, there will be an opportunity for exchange and networking. We look forward to welcoming many interested guests and to inspiring conversations.
What’s next?
The TOP 5 nominees in each category are expected to be contacted in calendar week 19 and be announced via the SEB website.
All the latest information and updates can be found on the Social Economy Berlin (SEB) LinkedIn page.
Further information
Terms and conditions of participation
Highlights from the last Berlin’s Social Enterprises 2024 competition:
