European Heritage Excellence Day 2026

Programme Booklet (PDF)

 
The Excellence Day will spotlight the very best heritage projects and champions that contribute to shaping a more cohesive, sustainable and beautiful Europe. Coming from 18 countries across the continent, representatives of the 30 winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2026 will gather in Nicosia to present and celebrate their exemplary achievements with a wider European audience.

 

This year’s edition of the Awards features a diverse range of winners across its five categories, including the DumBO project, which has reactivated a former railway yard in Bologna through reversible interventions, creating a flexible cultural hub with strong community impact (Italy); the Cypriot Fiddler research project, which has documented the life stories of traditional Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot musicians (Cyprus); the “Pacijenca” programme, which has revived, through hands-on training, the nearly extinct Dobrota lace tradition in Montenegro; the Gardens of Peace Project, which has created contemporary public gardens along the First World War front line in France and Belgium; and the volunteer-driven organisation Din l-Art Ħelwa, which has protected Malta’s heritage for over 60 years. Discover the winners and vote online to decide who will win the Public Choice Award 2026 by 12 May.

 

The European Heritage Excellence Day is jointly organised by Europa Nostra and the European Commission with the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. The event will take place at the THOC Theatre.

 

The European Heritage Excellence Day is held in the frame of the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2026, taking place from 26 to 30 May in the capital city of Cyprus. The Summit, organised by Europa Nostra and the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Nicosia, is held under the patronage of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, and has the support of the European Union. Under the motto “Heritage as the Soul of Mare Nostrum”, the Nicosia Summit will highlight the (geo)political, societal, economic and environmental relevance of cultural heritage for Europe and the wider Mediterranean.

For the Summit Programme, please check www.europanostra.org/european-heritage-summit.