What is NEB?

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative, launched by the European Commission in 2020, connects the European Green Deal to our living spaces and experiences and expresses the EU’s ambition of creating beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive places, products and ways of living. It promotes new ways of living where sustainability matches style, thus accelerating the green transition in various sectors of our economy and in our societies as well as other areas of our daily life. To widely promote this initiative, the European Commission announces a competition every year.

About competition

The 2024 edition of the Prizes will take a special look to the regions facing some of the most pressing socio-economic issues in the EU and at the core of the actions of EU’s cohesion policy. These are regions facing more intensively challenges, such as securing good living standards for citizens, providing universal access to basic services, tackling unemployment, and retaining young talents. In addition, the Prizes 2024 will focus on those places affected the most by the socio-economic costs resulting from the climate transition.

You can apply in four established categories based on the thematic axes of transformation that guide the delivery of the New European Bauhaus:

• Reconnecting with nature
• Regaining a sense of belonging
• Prioritising the places and people that need it the most
• Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking

In each of the four categories, two parallel competition strands are established:

• Strand A: “New European Bauhaus Champions” will be devoted to existing and completed projects with clear and positive results.
• Strand B: “New European Bauhaus Rising Stars” will be dedicated to concepts submitted by young talents aged 30 years old or less. The concepts can be at different stages of development, from ideas with a clear plan to the prototype level.

Additional focus on Ukraine and specific challenges in EU’s regions

The 2024 edition of the Prizes will welcome applications of projects and

concepts in Ukraine. To recognize and support Ukraine's resilience, recovery and reconstruction effort, the Prizes 2024 will also award a dedicated prize to a project or concept supporting the country’s reconstruction and recovery effort in the spirit of the NEB. This “Special Recognition to Ukraine’s Reconstruction and Recovery Effort” prize aims at recognizing and contributing to the preparation of the reconstruction of Ukraine, as well as to other efforts in the social and economic recovery of the country.

How to apply

Applications are open until 10 November 2023 at 19:00 CET. Applicants of all nationalities and backgrounds are eligible if their concepts and projects are implemented in the EU, the Western Balkans or Ukraine. The applications should be submitted through the official New European Bauhaus Prizes platform. All the details regarding the application process are included in the Guide to Applicants.

Award ceremony

The 2024 Prizes will be awarded in April 2024 to 20 winners who will receive prizes of up to 30,000 EUR, as well as a communications package to help them further develop and promote their projects and concepts. They will be announced during the New European Bauhaus Festival, taking place in Brussels from 17 to 21 April, at an awards ceremony hosted by the European Commission. The festival will bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds, in a variety of workshops, activities, and satellite events to discuss and shape our future.

Good luck!