Commission awards 2025 prizes to the most sustainable, inclusive and beautiful projects in the framework of the New Bauhaus Europe

The European Commission has announced twenty-two winners of the New European Bauhaus Awards 2025. For the fifth consecutive year, the NBE Awards honour 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 “European New Bauhaus Champions”) and one for promising initiatives by younger applicants (the “European New Bauhaus Rising Stars”). The urgent need for more affordable and sustainable housing was also recognised with a special award.

Source: NEB Showcases Roofscapes Académie Du Climat. Olivier Faber

In addition, for the first time this year, 20 small municipalities received the NBE Small Municipalities Boost. 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 €30,000 as well as a dedicated communication package.

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

At the award ceremony, the Commission also launched a student design competition for the official NBE Awards 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 of this competition. And I am very happy about 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 aim is to make housing more affordable, sustainable and of better quality. These are also the aims of the New European Bauhaus. A house is not just walls and a roof. It is security and belonging.

New Bauhaus Europe 2025 Awards

Winners of the New European Bauhaus Champions strand include Spain’s green axes and squares showing how streets can be reclaimed from cars for people and vegetation, while Austria’s HausWirtschaft cooperative combines affordable housing with shared work and childcare spaces. In Ukraine, Promprylad demonstrates how a former factory can be reborn as a centre for innovation and social investment. HempForma from Lithuania revives traditional hemp production to create modern, circular acoustic panels. In this chapter, Portugal’s Edible School, which turns education into a living ecosystem focused on food and sustainability, won the public vote.

In the ‘New European Bauhaus Rising Stars’ chapter , winning projects include Pollino in Hungary, which transforms urban signage into habitats for pollinators, while in the Kopli community courtyard in Estonia, students and residents jointly designed a new public space from recycled building materials. The Tavros Project from Greece shows how energy renovations can make buildings healthier and more efficient, and UN_SKIN from Italy explored biomaterials as an alternative to leather. In this chapter, Italy’s Therapeutic Sculpture, using participatory art as a tool for connection, transformation and wellbeing, won the public vote.

New European Bauhaus Solutions for Affordable Housing

For this edition, special attention was given to the New European Bauhaus Affordable Housing Award, which awarded four projects in Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands that demonstrate 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 that contributed to the EU’s efforts to improve housing affordability and combined that commitment with the values and principles of the NBE.

New NBE momentum for small municipalities

Together with the NBE 2025 Awards, twenty small municipalities – from the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland – demonstrated how the New European Bauhaus is not only shaping big cities, but also empowering rural towns and smaller communities across Europe to implement sustainable and inclusive projects.

The NBE’s push for small municipalities, with the support of 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 invites architects, citizens, companies, cultural actors, innovators and researchers to contribute to the New European Bauhaus Festival 2026, scheduled for 9 and 13 June 2026. The deadline is 15 October 2025 for the Fair and Festival, and 31 December 2025 for the 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 for implementing the European Green Pact at local level, linking innovation, design, architecture, culture and social inclusion.

Through the annual NBE 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 NBE 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 more than €2 million in support. New to this year’s NBE Awards were the NBE Affordable Housing Awards which reward exemplary projects in EU housing solutions.

The NBE Awards ceremony was part of the second NBE Regions and Cities event , held in Brussels on 29-30 September, which brought together more than 400 participants. The event focused on supporting the implementation of the NBE initiative by fostering collaboration and exchange of best practices.

For more information

The list of NBE winners is available on the NBE Awards Platform.