The EU Commission has awarded the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2026 to 13 laureates from several EU countries, Ukraine and North Macedonia, as well as Japan and Brazil, which won the international competition of the awards.
In their sixth edition, the New European Bauhaus Prizes (NEB) prizes reward outstanding projects, concepts and ideas that combine sustainability, inclusion and aesthetics, demonstrating how the lives of people and communities can be enriched by bringing together culture and technology, innovation and design.
The prizes were awarded in two strands: one for established projects (the ‘New European Bauhaus Champions’) and one for promising initiatives from younger applicants (the ‘New European Bauhaus Rising Stars’). The 2026 edition also includes a special prize for water resilience and international prizes for projects from Brazil and Japan.
Alongside the NEB Prizes 2026, 20 small municipalities were awarded the NEB Boost for Small Municipalities. This highlights the crucial role these communities play in shaping a future that is more sustainable, inclusive and beautiful. This new initiative is supported by a pilot project of the European Parliament.
All winners received a monetary prize of up to €20,000 and a dedicated communication package, as well as targeted coach support and mentoring to strengthen their visibility.
The winners of the ‘New European Bauhaus Champions’ strand include France’s Circular by Nature, an urban oasis where nothing is wasted and everyone contributes. In Germany, the Big People project brought children from local families and children with refugee experience together to create a circus carnival. Ukraine’s Therapeutic garden at the VDNG is a public space for defenders, veterans, and everyone seeking recovery. And in Cyprus, the Social Impact Generator Hub transformed a container in Nicosia, Europe’s last divided capital, into a living lab for inclusive innovation. In this strand, Alicante’s La Marjal Floodable Urban Park is absorbing stormwater through natural wetland systems and transforming flood risk into a vibrant public landscape, won the public vote.
In the strand for the ‘New European Bauhaus Rising Stars’, winning projects include Belgium’s Coots as Partners in Circular Care, which developed custom-designed floating platforms inviting all waterbirds to breed safely on urban canals, while North Macedonia’s Traviata in Three Acts transformed a neighbourhood in Skopje. Portugal’s Casa da Azenha is transforming a traditional family olive mill into a vibrant living lab in Santa Cruz do Douro. Spain’s PROXIMITY COMUNNITY is turning the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque in Barcelona into an equipped park, redefining this environment through the implementation of urban orchards and the construction of 147 social housing units. Still in this strand, Romania’s Formform is helping architects through an adaptive, research-informed digital process, translating ideas into design inputs they can use directly, won the public vote.
The special prize for water resilience goes to ECO H2O from Romania. The project has created the first nature-based wastewater system in rural Romania, in the UNESCO heritage village of Viscri.
For the first time, the Prizes have extended beyond Europe, with an international prize open to Brazil and Japan. The international prize for Japan goes to Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center “WHY”, an environmental public complex dedicated to building a circular society.
The international prize for Brazil goes to Urban Community Mini-Forests São Paulo, which is transforming underused spaces into public schools, as well as other public facilities into biodiverse climate refuges co-created with students, educators and local communities.
