European Heritage Awards

Europa Nostra is the EU's most prestigious award for cultural heritage, honouring best practices in the heritage field for 23 years.
Receive up to EUR 10,000 for winning one of five categories:
- Conservation & Adaptive Reuse. About projects that preserve cultural heritage and find new ways to use it.
- Research. About innovative research that offers practical ways to preserve cultural heritage.
- Education, Training & Skills. About projects that contribute to the dissemination of knowledge, the development of skills or the improvement of crafts.
- Citizens' Engagement & Awareness-raising. About projects that promote mutual understanding, inclusion, cultural dialogue and a sense of belonging.
- Heritage Champions. About people and organisations that are committed to protecting cultural heritage.
You can find more about each category at the link.
The award was initiated by the European Commission and implemented by Europa Nostra. This is one of the thousands of EU opportunities for Ukraine.
- A chance to compete for one of six prizes of EUR 10,000
- An awards ceremony in May 2026
- A plaque and an Award certificate
- An invitation to speak at a conference and to be an author in a publication, where you can tell a new audience about your project
- A community of over 500 cultural heritage professionals and experts from all over Europe
The award is designed for people and organisations with projects that:
- Protect tangible, intangible or digital heritage
- Focus on innovation, interactivity and participation
- Were implemented within the last three years
- Completed application in English: describe the project's purpose, results and impact
- Photos, illustrations or videos that will show your project
- Signed declaration and authorisation form that you download while filling out the application.
Find answers to common questions on the website.
Choose your category and fill out the online form. You can make essential changes to your already submitted entry until 9 September.
The organisers will announce the 30 winners in February 2026.
- You can only apply for one category. You must also have the consent of the owner of the collection or cultural heritage site.
- Winners must organise an online or offline event to celebrate the award and share their success with a broader audience.