Labelled the ‘cultural and creative dimension to the European Green Deal’, the New European Bauhaus (NEB) is on a mission to deliver the ‘EU’s ambition of creating beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive places, products and ways of living’.
The creative innovators bringing this vision to life were recognised last week at the fifth annual NEB Prizes ceremony in Brussels. The European Commission announcing 22 laureates – including awards for both established and new projects.
“Today we have the opportunity to put a vibrant community of people and organizations who imagine a better future and are willing to make a difference in the limelight,” said Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy.
Among the more established initiatives, named ‘New European Bauhaus Champions’, were Portugal’s Edible School, winners of the public vote, and pioneers of education built around food and sustainability. Winners of the ‘New European Bauhaus Rising Stars‘ included the Kopli Community Courtyard in Estonia, where recycled construction materials are being transformed into vibrant public spaces through the co-design efforts of students and residents.
This year’s NEB ceremony also gave prominence to the New European Bauhaus Affordable Housing Prize, with projects in Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands hailed for delivering affordable and sustainable housing that is also ‘healthy, inclusive and accessible to all’. And for the first time ever 20 small municipalities were awarded the NEB Boost for Small Municipalities.
European Commission 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.”
The Commission also launched a ‘student design competition for the official NEB Prizes 2026 trophy‘, with young talents urged to ‘propose a symbolic object that embodies sustainability, beauty and togetherness’. Students can apply by 31 January 2026.
NEB Festival 2026
Innovators, architects, citizens, companies, cultural actors and researchers are being invited by the Commission to shape the New European Bauhaus Festival 2026, scheduled 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 here.
