Commission awards the 2025 Prizes for the most sustainable, inclusive and beautiful projects under the New European Bauhaus

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

The European Commission has announced 22 laureates of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Prizes 2025. For the fifth year in a row, the NEB prizes reward outstanding projects and initiatives 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 four categories and 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 urgent need for more affordable and sustainable housing was also recognised with a special prize.

Additionally, for the first time this year, 20 small municipalities were awarded the NEB Boost for Small Municipalities. This highlights the 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 prizes of up to EUR 30,000 as well as a dedicated communication package.

The prizes were awarded during a ceremony held in Brussels on 30 September in the presence of Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms, Rafaelle Fitto; Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall; and Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen. 

At the awards ceremony, the Commission also launched a student design competition for the official NEB Prizes 2026 trophy, inviting young talents to propose a symbolic object that embodies sustainability, beauty and togetherness. Students can apply by 31 January 2026.

President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Every year I am impressed by the creativity in this competition. And I am really pleased with this year’s special housing prize. It will help us to think about solutions to the housing crisis in a new way. And it is an inspiration for our work on a European Housing Plan. Our goal is to make housing more affordable, sustainable, and better quality. These are also the goals of the New European Bauhaus. A home is not just walls and a roof. It is safety and belonging.”

New European Bauhaus Prizes 2025 laureates

The winners of the ‘New European Bauhaus Champions’ strand include Spain’s Green Axes and Squaresshowing how streets can be reclaimed from cars for people and greenery, while Austria’s cooperative dieHausWirtschaft combines affordable housing with shared work and childcare spaces. In Ukraine, Promprylad demonstrates how an old factory can be reborn as a hub for innovation and social investment. Lithuania’s HempForma revives traditional hemp production to create modern, circular acoustic panels. In this strand, Portugal’s Edible School, turning education into a living ecosystem centred on food and sustainability, won the public vote.

In the strand for the ‘New European Bauhaus Rising Stars’, winning projects include Pollino in Hungary, which transforms urban signage into habitats for pollinators while in Kopli Community Courtyard in Estonia, students and residents co-designed a new public space out of recycled construction materials. Greece’s Tavros Project shows how energy retrofits can make buildings healthier and more efficient and Italy’s UN_SKIN explored biomaterials as an alternative to leather. In this strand, Italy’s Therapeutic Sculpture, using participatory art as a tool for connection, transformation and well-being, won the public vote.

New European Bauhaus solutions for affordable housing

For this edition, a special focus was given to the ‘New European Bauhaus Affordable Housing’ Prize, which awarded four projects in Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands demonstrating how Europe can deliver more affordable and sustainable housing that is also healthy, inclusive and accessible to all. These four projects were awarded to completed projects in the EU contributing to the EU’s efforts to improve housing affordability and combining that commitment with the NEB values and principles.

New NEB Boost for Small Municipalities

Alongside the NEB Prizes 2025, 20 small municipalities – from Czechia, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland – demonstrated how the New European Bauhaus is not only shaping large cities but also empowering rural towns and smaller communities across Europe to put sustainable and inclusive projects into practice.

The NEB Boost for Small Municipalities, supported by the European Parliament, helps these local authorities overcome early barriers in developing projects that are sustainable, inclusive and beautiful.

Preparing for the New European Bauhaus Festival

Looking ahead, the Commission is inviting architects, citizens, companies, cultural actors, innovators, and researchers to contribute to theNew European Bauhaus Festival 2026, planned for 9-13 June 2026. The deadline is 15 October 2025 for the Fair and Fest, and 31 December 2025 for Satellite events.  Submissions can be made via this page. 

Background

Launched in 2021 following President von der Leyen’s 2020 State of the Union address, the New European Bauhaus has grown into a vibrant community of nearly 2,000 members across Europe and beyond, inspiring almost 500 projects to date. It has become a key driver in implementing the European Green Deal at the local level, bridging innovation, design, architecture, culture, and social inclusion.

Through the annual NEB Prizes, the initiative highlights tangible solutions that show how communities can live more sustainably and beautifully, while ensuring affordability and social fairness. Across five editions, the NEB Prizes have brought visibility to projects and ideas from across the EU, the Western Balkans and Ukraine. Since 2021, over 5,700 applications have been received, and 94 winners have shared more than €2 million in support. A novelty in this year’s NEB Prizes edition was the ‘NEB Affordable Housing’ prizes rewarding exemplary projects in the EU housing solutions.  

The NEB Awards Ceremony formed part of the second NEB in Regions and Cities event, held in Brussels on 29-30 September, bringing together over 400 participants. The event focused on supporting the implementation of the NEB initiative by encouraging collaboration and exchange of best practices.

For More Information

The list of the NEB winners is available on the NEB Prizes Platform.

New European Bauhaus