The European Commission has announced the winners of the LIFE Awards 2026, recognising EU-funded projects in nature protection, circular economy and climate action, as well as a public-voted prize and a special award.
The awards were presented during EU Green Week on 3 and 4 June, the Commission informed on Thursday.
The LIFE Awards mark their 20th anniversary this year and focus on projects supported by the EU’s LIFE Programme.
The LIFE Award for Nature went to LIFE Danube floodplains, a project in Slovakia and Hungary that restored and managed threatened and degraded habitats along the Danube’s floodplains.
The LIFE Award for Circular Economy and Quality of Life was awarded to LIFE Turn to e-circular in Slovenia, which promoted a “circular economy” — keeping products and materials in use for longer through reuse and recycling — for household electrical and electronic equipment.
The LIFE Award for Climate Action went to Spain’s LIFE WetLands4CLIMATE, which demonstrated ways of managing, restoring and conserving Mediterranean wetlands to mitigate the consequences of climate change while preserving biodiversity.
Citizens’ prize and special award
The LIFE Citizens’ Prize went to Egyptian Vulture New LIFE, a project coordinated between Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Jordan, Kenya, Nigeria, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, the Commission said.
The project halted the decline of the Balkan population of Egyptian vultures and ran an awareness-raising campaign that reached 25 million people across 14 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.
The 2026 Special Award — focusing this year on how investment in nature and healthy ecosystems can strengthen Europe’s economy, security and long-term prosperity — was awarded to Spain’s LIFE Olivares Vivos project, which works on protecting and restoring biodiversity in olive groves across southern Spain.
