Description
The European Commission has announced 22 winners of the New European Bauhaus Awards 2025. For the fifth consecutive year, the New European Bauhaus Awards recognise 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 'champions of the new European Bauhaus') and one for promising initiatives by younger applicants (the 'rising stars of the new European Bauhaus'). The urgent need for more affordable and sustainable housing was also recognised with a special award.
In addition, for the first time this year, 20 small municipalities were awarded the new European Bauhaus for small municipalities. This highlights the role these communities play in shaping a more sustainable, inclusive and beautiful future. This new initiative is supported by a pilot project of the European Parliament.
All winners received prizes of up to EUR 30,000 and a dedicated communication package.
The prizes were awarded at a ceremony in Brussels on 30 September in the presence of Executive Vice President for Cohesion and Reform Rafaelle Fitto; Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy; and Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen.
During the award ceremony, the Commission also launched a student design competition for the official trophy of the new European Bauhaus 2026 awards, inviting young talents to propose a symbolic object that embodies sustainability, beauty and solidarity. Students can apply until 31 January 2026.
New European Bauhaus 2025 Awards
Winners of the 'Champions of the New European Bauhaus' section include Spain's Green Axes and Squares, which shows how streets can be reclaimed from cars for people and greenery, while Austrian cooperative die HausWirtschaft 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, which transformed education into a living ecosystem focused on food and sustainability, won the public vote.
In the 'New European Bauhaus Rising Stars' strand, winning projects include Pollino in Hungary, which transforms urban signage into a habitat for pollinators, while in the Kopli community courtyard in Estonia, students and residents co-designed a new public space with recycled building 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 vein, 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, special attention was given to the 'New European Bauhaus for Affordable Housing' award, which awarded four projects in Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands, demonstrating how Europe can offer 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 that contribute to the EU's efforts to improve housing affordability and combine this commitment with the values and principles of the new European Bauhaus.
New European Bauhaus momentum for small municipalities
In addition to the New European Bauhaus 2025 awards, 20 small municipalities - Czech, German, Greek, Spanish, French, Croatian, Italian, Dutch, Austrian, Portuguese and Finnish - demonstrated how the New European Bauhaus is not only shaping big cities, but also enabling rural towns and smaller communities across Europe to implement sustainable and inclusive projects.
The new European Bauhaus 'Boost for Small Municipalities', supported by the European Parliament, helps these local authorities overcome the first barriers in developing sustainable, inclusive and beautiful projects.
Preparing the New European Bauhaus Festival
Looking to the future, the Commission invites architects, citizens, businesses, cultural actors, innovators and researchers to contribute to the Festival of the New European Bauhaus 2026, scheduled from 9 to 13 June 2026. The deadline is 15 October 2025 for the fair and festival and 31 December 2025 for the satellite events.
Launched in 2021 following President von der Leyen's State of the Union 2020 address, the new European Bauhaus has grown into a vibrant community of almost 2,000 members across Europe and beyond, inspiring almost 500 projects to date. It has become a key factor in implementing the European Green Deal at local level, linking innovation, design, architecture, culture and social inclusion.
Through the annual New European Bauhaus Awards, the initiative highlights tangible solutions that show how communities can live more sustainably and beautifully while ensuring affordability and social equity. In five editions, the New European Bauhaus Awards have given visibility to projects and ideas from across the EU, the Western Balkans and Ukraine. Since 2021, more than 5,700 applications have been received and 94 winners have shared over EUR 2 million in support. New in this year's edition of the New European Bauhaus awards were the NEB Affordable Housing awards, which recognise exemplary projects in EU housing solutions.
The New European Bauhaus awards ceremony was part of the second New European Bauhaus event dedicated to regions and cities, held in Brussels on 29-30 September, which brought together over 400 participants. The event focused on supporting the implementation of the New European Bauhaus initiative by encouraging collaboration and the exchange of best practices.
Source and image: European Commission
Image owner: EU