Europa Nostra Awards 2026, here are the winners. There are five Italians

Thirty are the winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2026, announced by the European Commission and Europa Nostra. The awards, co-funded by the Creative Europe program, represent the largest European award scheme dedicated to cultural heritage and involve 18 countries this year, against 261 nominations from 40 nations.

The variety of award-winning initiatives reflects the complexity and vitality of the cultural heritage sector in Europe. The awards are distributed in five categories and range from conservation and adaptive reuse to research, education and civic participation, and recognition of figures and organizations involved in heritage protection.

Five Italian projects were awarded this year, starting with the restoration of the Polirone monastic complex in San Benedetto Po (Mantua), an intervention that combined post-earthquake safety with cultural and civic reactivation of the site. Also awarded was DumBO - Distretto urbano multifunzionale (Multifunctional Urban District) in Bologna, an intervention that transformed a 40,000-square-meter former railway area into a flexible cultural hub through minimal and reversible interventions with a strong impact on the community. Recognition also went to theNational Historical Archives of Italian Restorers, which through an open-access database makes fundamental materials available for research and conservation. The fourth awardee is the Intorno a Minerva project, which has led to the opening in 2022 of an Archaeological Park around the Sanctuary of Minerva in Breno, Brescia. Finally, an award also goes to the Italian-Spanish project HIMASS - International Summer School on Historic Masonry Structures, conceived in 2018 by the University of Roma Tre, the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the University of Salerno, a program that focuses on the structural behavior of historic masonry buildings and the recovery of knowledge of traditional building principles.

The 2026 edition stands out for the breadth and diversity of the selected projects, distributed in five categories. In the Conservation & Adaptive Reuse section, the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest, the Polirone monastic complex in San Benedetto Po, the DumBO multifunctional urban district in Bologna, Nikolai Astrup’s garden in Astruptunet, Norway, the Bánffy Castle in Răscruci, Romania, the dome of the Escuelas Pías church in Valencia, and the Salinas de La Concepción in Menorca won.

In the Research category, awards were given to The Cypriot Fiddler project in Cyprus, the National Historical Archives of Italian Restorers (ASRI) and the FENIX project in Seville, which develops artificial intelligence-based tools for risk prevention on heritage.

In the Education, Training & Skills section, awards went to the Heritage Craft School in Iceland, the Irish initiative to improve the energy efficiency of historic public buildings, the International Summer School on Historic Masonry Structures (HIMASS) between Italy and Spain, the “Co-creating Urban Heritage with Children” in Riga, Latvia, to the “Pacijenca” program for the preservation of lace in Dobrota, Montenegro, and to the School of Renovation in Škofja Loka, Slovenia.

The Citizens’ Engagement & Awareness-raising category awarded the Croatian Coral Center Zlarin in Croatia, the project “Sector 2: Nicosia - The Green Line Project” in Nicosia, Gardens of Peace between France and Belgium, the 14 Henrietta Street Museum in Dublin, the “Around Minerva” project in Breno, Italy, Gothic Route in Slovakia, and the Polina Raiko Art Preservation Initiative in Kherson, Ukraine.

Alongside the projects, the awards also recognize figures and organizations involved in heritage protection. Heritage Champions include Din l-Art Ħelwa - National Trust in Malta, the Madrid-based Factum Foundation for Digital Technology in Preservation, the Ukrainian organization Museum Open for Renovation , and Maryna Hrytsenko, honored in memory for her efforts to safeguard museum collections during the conflict in Ukraine.

They were joined by three Europa Nostra Awards winners from countries outside the Creative Europe program: the restoration of the Elizabeth Tower, better known as Big Ben, in London, the restoration of Rochdale Town Hall in the United Kingdom, and the Turkish project to assess seismic damage to cultural sites.

The overall picture returns a multifaceted panorama in which cultural heritage is shaped as a lever for sustainable development, innovation and social cohesion. This was emphasized by Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Culture: “The European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2026 celebrate the extraordinary capacity of heritage to inspire, connect and transform. In a rapidly changing world, this year’s winners demonstrate how our shared cultural heritage can promote sustainability, foster innovation and strengthen the bonds that unite us. My sincere congratulations to all the winners: your outstanding work illuminates the way forward. From artificial intelligence-based risk prevention to hands-on training in traditional building techniques, these projects demonstrate that heritage is not just about the past, but is a living force for progress. Whether it’s reviving traditional crafts with modern skills, adapting historic sites to future challenges or engaging young people as active participants in heritage protection, these projects show that culture is at the heart of Europe’s future.”

Cecilia Bartoli, president of Europa Nostra, also remarked on the importance of these initiatives, “My sincere congratulations to the winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2026 for the much-deserved recognition. The projects and people honored this year demonstrate how cultural heritage can inspire new generations, strengthen community life, and support local economies. In a world marked by conflict, geopolitical tensions and technological change, the need to defend what unites us has become more urgent and important than ever. Cultural heritage connects people across generations and borders and is a key bridge to shaping more inclusive, sustainable and democratic societies in Europe and beyond.”

The winners will be celebrated on May 28, 2026 at the Municipal Theater in Nicosia, Cyprus, in a ceremony that will be one of the central moments of the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2026. Also announced during the event will be the Grand Prizes and the Public Choice Award, given by online voting open until May 12 and endowed with a prize of 10,000 euros.

The summit, scheduled for May 26-30 in the Cypriot capital, will be held under the motto “Heritage as the Soul of Mare Nostrum” and will focus on the role of heritage in the cultural, social and political dynamics of the Mediterranean and Europe. In this context, the full list of winners of the Europa Nostra Awards 2026 is not only a celebration of excellence, but also a map of the most advanced practices in the protection and enhancement of contemporary cultural heritage.

Europa Nostra Awards 2026, here are the winners. There are five Italians

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