Carinthia honours regional businesses and community projects

Carinthia has honoured projects supporting regional economies and community life with the “ausgezeichnet regional” award, ORF’s Carinthia newsroom reported.

Products made, processed and sold locally help keep economic value in the region, benefiting businesses, suppliers and employees. But rising costs and labour shortages are putting pressure on many businesses.

Markus Polka of the Carinthian Economic Chamber said a key challenge was keeping municipalities vibrant places to live and work. When shops and restaurants close, apprenticeships are unavailable and young people move away, the effects can be serious for entire communities and regions, he said.

The award ceremony took place on Sunday evening. Organisers received 104 entries and recognised projects in eight categories. One winner was Marktplatz Mittelkärnten, a regional marketplace bringing together 64 businesses in hospitality, crafts and food production. The award cited its regional variety, verified quality and transparent value chains.

Another winning project was NoxAvis, a business that develops artificial intelligence-supported tools for medical documentation in acute medicine. Entries came from businesses, associations and initiatives across Carinthia, with projects ranging from efforts to secure jobs and expand regional services to initiatives aimed at improving community life.