The fifth edition of the NEB Prizes will contribute to the EU's efforts to improve housing affordability. It will award four NEB Affordable Housing prizes to completed projects in the EU providing sustainable, inclusive, beautiful and affordable housing solutions in line with NEB values and principles.
“Affordable housing solutions are one of the most urgent challenges of our time,” President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized in a press statement. “These initiatives demonstrate how small, smart efforts can create meaningful, lasting change.”
Launched in von der Leyen's 2020 State of the Union address, the New European Bauhaus has already engaged thousands of participants across Europe. This latest iteration builds on five years of progressive community-driven design initiatives.
Since its inception in 2021, the New European Bauhaus Prizes have seen significant participation, receiving over 5,000 applications across previous editions. The initiative has awarded more than €1.5 million to 72 winners, fostering a vibrant community dedicated to transforming urban and rural environments through innovative design and community engagement.
“These awards open yet another opportunity for Europeans all over the EU to show their best innovative creations for a better future that is simultaneously beautiful, inclusive, and sustainable,” said Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms, in a written statement. “These objectives are very much in line with Cohesion Policy’s mission of promoting a cohesive Europe, benefitting all regions and communities.
“By integrating the New European Bauhaus with our work on the circular economy, we can unlock new opportunities for sustainable growth, and regenerative housing and boost the work of municipalities through these awards” said Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy in a written statement.
This year, the programme will award €30,000 to 22 innovative projects across two distinct competitions, targeting established teams and emerging young talent under 30. The 20 winners of the NEB Boost will each receive a €30,000 prize, along with a tailored communication package from the Commission to further amplify their achievements. The NEB Prizes will focus on four critical transformation areas:
- Reconnecting with Nature: Projects reimagining urban environments to enhance environmental integration
- Regaining Community Belonging: Designs that strengthen social cohesion and local identity
- Prioritising Vulnerable Populations: Innovations addressing the needs of marginalised communities
- Circular Industrial Ecosystems: Sustainable economic models promoting life-cycle thinking.
The competition features two unique participation streams:
- Strand A: “New European Bauhaus Champions” — recognising completed projects with demonstrable impact
- Strand B: “New European Bauhaus Rising Stars” — supporting emerging talent with innovative concepts
THE MUNICIPAL TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME
A parallel initiative, the NEB Boost for Small Municipalities, will specifically target rural communities and towns with populations under 20,000. This programme aims to empower smaller local governments often overlooked in large-scale infrastructure projects.
Eligible municipal projects must demonstrate:
Read more and Apply:
New European Bauhaus Prizes platform
Guide for New European Bauhaus Prizes
New European Bauhaus website
Commission Communication on the New European Bauhaus
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Background: The European Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus
The New European Bauhaus (NEB) emerged as a visionary initiative on September 15, 2021, when the European Commission published a Communication presenting the core idea, aiming to transform sustainability from an abstract concept into a tangible, lived experience.
Rooted in the European Green Deal's goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, the NEB bridges environmental policy with daily life. It does more than propose climate strategies—it reimagines how Europeans interact with their environment, making sustainability beautiful, inclusive, and personal.
At its core, the NEB represents a radical approach: sustainability is not just a policy, but a design philosophy. It seeks to make circular, low-carbon goods accessible to all citizens, while simultaneously supporting nature's regeneration and preserving biodiversity.
More than a project, the NEB is a movement—inviting Europeans to experience sustainability not as a constraint, but as an opportunity for creativity, community, and collective reimagining of our shared spaces.
The initiative's ultimate vision is transformative: to create living environments that are simultaneously environmentally responsible, aesthetically compelling, and deeply inclusive.
Image Credit: Detail from Bauhaus staircase, Katharina Gaenssler, 2015
