Guimarães in Portugal will be the European Green Capital in 2026, the EU Commission announced Thursday, with smaller cities awards going to Águeda of Portugal and Vaasa in Finland.
EC vice-president Maros Sefcovic congratulated the winners for their commitments to ambitious environmental goals: “Cities are key players in advancing the green transition and I commend the continuous engagement of all participants in promoting a clean and healthy environment so that their citizens enjoy better quality of life.”
The expert jury crowned Guimarães as the 2026 European Green Capital winner for successfully making sustainability and circularity part of its culture, with the support of the whole community. The jury was also impressed by the way the city connects creativity with science and data.
Green Leaf winners Águeda and Vaasa impressed the jury with their unique approaches to engaging their communities in the green transition.
Águeda was praised for its comprehensive and structured approach to sustainability, and inclusion of the whole community through online dashboards. The jury also recognised the role of art and culture as powerful driving forces behind sustainable transition.
The jury commended Vaasa for its bold ambition to be “carbon neutral 202x” using its growing energy sector as an incubator and driver for systemic sustainable transitions. The jury recognised “the Nordic energy capital” for raising awareness on sustainability among citizens through energy education.
The winners will receive a grant for further support in their green efforts: a prize of €600,000 for the Green Capital Gimarães, and €200,000 for the Green Leaf cities Águeda and Vaasa.
A total of 21 cities competed for the awards. An international expert panel of seven independent urban sustainability experts evaluated each application and shortlisted seven finalist cities.
