The public voted for Puerta de Alcalá in Madrid (SPAIN) combining craftmanship with science. Environmental sustainability and intergenerational memory were highlighted in the jury's five winners: Antwerp City Hall (BELGIUM), Secrets of the Ice (NORWAY), Pro Monumenta – Preventive Maintenance of Monuments (SLOVAKIA), Hedgehog’s Home – Inventing a Better World (SERBIA) and Inge Bisgaard (GREENLAND / DENMARK).
By Creatives Unite Newsroom
Monday 13 October - The Grand Prix winners of the 2025 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards were announced by the European Commission and Europa Nostra at a high-profile event in Brussels.
“Once more the winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards demonstrate the sheer diversity and richness of Europe’s cultural heritage” said Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, and congratulated all the 2025 laureates.
“At a time when Europe’s shared culture and values are threatened both externally and internally, we have gathered in Brussels to celebrate Europe’s excellence related to cultural heritage” said Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra.
“Europe’s cultural heritage is not a thing of the past. It is the living fabric of who we are. Our common memory, our shared vision and our collective promise for the future”, stated Sabine Verheyen, Vice-President of the European Parliament, present on behalf of Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament.
10,000 citizens across Europe participated in the voting process. The Public Choice Award 2025 went to Puerta de Alcalá in Madrid, SPAIN. The project was about combining traditional craftsmanship and scientific analysis in a large-scale public project to restore the Puerta de Alcalá (click on image to enlarge).
According to the organisers: "Over 100 specialists, including conservators, engineers, blacksmiths, stonemasons and sculptors collaborated to analyse and restore this iconic monument in the Spanish capital".
“Extensive public engagement accompanied the works, including guided scaffold tours, multimedia outreach, and on-site interpretation,” the Jury remarked. The project was funded by the Municipality of Madrid.
Grand Prix Laureates 2025: Environment, memory and youth
The five laureates of the Grand Prix 2025 demonstrate innovative approaches to shared challenges. They combine solutions on built heritage with environmental sustainability and on intangible heritage with intergenerational memory. Here are the 2025 laureates:
- Category Conservation & Adaptive Reuse: Antwerp City Hall, BELGIUM
“This exemplary restoration of a 16th-century city hall balanced structural conservation and energy efficiency, while preserving the building’s original civic function. The project, executed by a highly professional team, underlines the responsibility of local authorities in safeguarding and communicating Europe’s shared cultural legacy,” the Awards’ Jury stated.
- Category Research: Glacier Archaeology Programme – Secrets of the Ice, NORWAY
“Secrets of the Ice is a pioneering example of how heritage research can respond to the effects of global warming, with a methodology that has international relevance for high-altitude and Nordic regions. The programme’s strong scientific output, its multidisciplinary approach, and the active engagement of young researchers are highly commendable,” said the Jury.
- Category Education, Training & Skills: Pro Monumenta – Preventive Maintenance of Monuments, SLOVAKIA
“The project’s environmentally sustainable and cost-effective approach to monument maintenance, its scalability across diverse heritage contexts and its contribution to making a convincing business case for prioritising maintenance.” were highlighted by the jury.
- Category Citizens’ Engagement & Awareness-raising: Hedgehog’s Home – Inventing a Better World, SERBIA
“An emotionally powerful and inclusive museum project that focuses on storytelling, intangible heritage, and the safeguarding of shared cultural narratives. Intergenerational dialogue is at the core of the Hedgehog’s Home – Inventing a Better World project, engaging children and other visitors through a hands-on experience. A subversive initiative that awakens shared regional memory while promoting European values,” the Jury observed.
- Category Heritage Champions: Inge Bisgaard, GREENLAND / DENMARK
“Inge Bisgaard has shown life-long dedication to documenting Greenland’s built heritage, including remote and climate-threatened sites that are often overlooked and lack formal protection. Her persistence in working under extreme Arctic conditions has been critical to preserving fragile heritage across the world’s largest island,” the Jury noted.
Background
The five Grand Prix laureates were selected among this year’s 30 winners from 24 European countries by the Board of Europa Nostra, following recommendation by an independent jury of experts. One winner was voted by the public to receive the Public Choice Award for 2025. All five laureates and the Public Choice winner received a monetary award of €10,000 each. The European Heritage Awards Ceremony is held annually as part of the European Cultural Heritage Summit, organised by Europa Nostra and co-funded by the European Union. This year's Summit, with the motto 'Heritage Matters for Europe' was held in Brussels bearing particular significance ahead of the publication of the European Commission's first “Culture Compass for Europe”. It took place during ongoing negotiations on the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework Programme among the EU Institutions and Member States.
Images of ceremony and Glenn Micallef © Josef Rabara / Europa Nostra. “European Heritage Awards Ceremony 2025” by Europa Nostra, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Image © Stupendastic - “Puerta de Alcalá, Madrid, SPAIN” by Europa Nostra, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
