The European Commission is calling on European cities committed to sustainability to apply for the 2026 European Green Capital and Green Leaf Awards. The Awards promote and reward the efforts of European towns and cities that strive to reduce their impact on the local and global environment, improving quality of life for their inhabitants. The winners will earn a financial prize and join the growing network of European cities that share a common vision and expertise and inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

Seven environmental indicators will be used to select the winners: air quality; water; biodiversity, green areas and sustainable land use; waste and circular economy; noise; climate change mitigation; climate change adaptation.

The European Green Capital Award is open to cities with over 100 000 inhabitants. Smaller cities can apply for the European Green Leaf Award, which is open to all towns and cities with more than 20 000 inhabitants. The winner of the Green Capital Award will receive €600 000 and up to two Green Leaf winners will receive €200 000 each. The prize will help the winning cities implement initiatives and measures to enhance their environmental performance.

The European Commission recently organised a workshop for potential applicant cities.

The call for applications is open until 30 April 2024.