Voting in the 2026 edition of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Prizes closes on 10 July at 6pm Brussels time, according to the official NEB Prizes platform. Members of the public can back their favourites among 21 finalists shortlisted from this year's applications, with the results forming two audience-choice prizes, one for each strand of the competition, that sit alongside the awards decided by a nine-member jury of experts.
To take part, voters go to the public vote page and enter an email address. A personal voting link then arrives by email, through which the voter selects their chosen project or projects and confirms the choice. Each person may vote only once, for up to two projects — one in Strand A, known as New European Bauhaus Champions, and one in Strand B, known as New European Bauhaus Rising Stars — and must cast at least one vote for it to count. Critically, a vote is only registered once the final confirmation button has been clicked; an unconfirmed selection does not count, the platform warns.
The 21 finalists are split across four thematic categories: enhancing circularity, sustainability and innovation; strengthening local democracy and inclusion; arts, culture and heritage as drivers of change; and enablers of New European Bauhaus transformation. Champions is reserved for completed projects with a track record, while Rising Stars is open to concepts from applicants aged 30 or under. Under this year's rules, five of the top-ranking applications across both strands are also being shortlisted for a separate "Water Resilience" prize, a new addition for 2026, according to the official guide for Strand A applicants.
Among the finalists in the local democracy and inclusion category is Austria's only entrant this year, a reimagined shopping centre in Vöcklabruck that has become a hub for inclusive employment and community life, according to regional news coverage. The same category features the Czech Republic's Children's Hospice House for Julie in Brno, the country's first children's hospice, which has already won the Czech Architecture Award and Building of the Year in 2025, according to a Czech government innovation-strategy report.
This is the sixth edition of the prizes, which have run since 2021. Since then, more than 5,700 applications have been received, and 94 winners have shared over €2 million in support, according to the official New European Bauhaus funding page. This year's edition will award 13 winners and 14 runners-up in total: five winners in each of the two main strands (four category winners plus one public-vote winner apiece), one Water Resilience winner, and, for the first time, two international awards for projects in Brazil and Japan. Those international finalists are judged separately and do not feature in the public vote, according to the guide to the international prizes. Winners are due to be announced at an award ceremony in the autumn.
