The Costa Carras European Citizens Awards are annual awards established in 2023 by Europa Nostra and the Hellenic Society for Environment and Culture (Elliniki Etairia) to honour the safeguarding of endangered cultural and natural heritage in Europe.
The awards commemorate the legacy of Costa Carras, a pioneering advocate for Europe's common heritage and values. “For over 50 years, Costa Carras worked tirelessly in favour of Greece’s and Europe’s heritage to create a more sustainable, inclusive and beautiful world for future generations. The Costa Carras European Citizens Awards celebrate the legacy of this iconic champion of Europe’s shared heritage, and encourage citizens to engage in defence of the values he stood for” writes the announcement of the award.
The Costa Carras European Citizens Awards are presented annually to a European citizen, a group of individuals or a civil society organisation based in Europe* for a successful and exemplary campaign to mobilise the public to save endangered heritage in their country or elsewhere in Europe. The winner of the Golden Award receives a monetary prize of €10,000 and a certificate. The winner of the Silver Award receives a monetary prize of €5,000 and a certificate.
Costas Carras (1938–2022) was an Anglo-Greek shipping heir, scholar, historian, and a passionate humanist dedicated to cultural and environmental preservation. He studied Ancient Greek and Latin Literature, Philosophy and Ancient History at Oxford, and Economics at Harvard. Besides his shipping career, he was Vice-President of Europa Nostra from 1976 and founded the Hellenic Society for Environment and Culture in 1972 with his wife Lydia.
Carras was instrumental in building a pan-European heritage movement based on shared human rights and European values, actively engaging in preserving both cultural and natural heritage across Europe. His legacy includes significant efforts in protecting endangered heritage and promoting sustainable development in places like Roșia Montană.
The Romanian NGO “ARA – Architecture. Restoration. Archaeology” was awarded the very first Costa Carras European Citizens Award for its exemplary work mobilising citizens to promote and protect the outstanding heritage of Roșia Montană in Romania.
In 2024, Stéphane Bern, a renowned French-Luxembourgish journalist and a prominent heritage advocate, won the Golden Award for his exemplary work in raising awareness of the need to save heritage at risk in France and in the rest of Europe.
The Jury granted the Silver Award jointly to two NGOs, Archilochos – Cultural Association of Paros (Greece) and Haydarpaşa Solidarity for Society, City, and Environment (Türkiye), for successfully organising local citizens' movements to promote and preserve their cultural and natural heritage.
The awards named after him aim to inspire citizens to defend cultural and natural heritage, continuing his commitment to a sustainable and inclusive Europe. Applications for the fourth edition of the Costa Carras European Citizens Awards for the Safeguard of Endangered Cultural and Natural Heritage can be submitted by 16 January 2026.
The applications will be examined by a Jury composed of independent experts in the fields of culture, heritage, and communication from various European countries.
The presentation Ceremony of the Costa Carras European Citizens Awards will take place in the framework of the Delphi Economic Forum 2026 (22-25 April 2026), in the ancient city of Delphi, Greece.
