Thirty winners of the 2026 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards were announced at a ceremony in Nicosia, including five Grand Prix laureates and a separate Public Choice Award winner.
The ceremony took place at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre in Cyprus, attended by European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis and Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, the European Commission and Europa Nostra informed on Friday.
A congratulatory video message was sent by Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef.
Five Grand Prix awards were presented to the Polirone Monastic Complex in San Benedetto Po, Italy; the Cypriot Fiddler, Cyprus; the “Improving the Energy Performance of Heritage Properties in State Care” initiative, Ireland; Din l-Art Ħelwa – The National Trust for Malta, Valletta; and Maryna Hrytsenko in Chernihiv, Ukraine, which received a posthumous award.
The restoration project of Bánffy Castle in Răscruci, Romania, received the Public Choice Award.
Each of the five Grand Prix laureates and the Public Choice Award winner will receive €10,000.
Summit held in Nicosia
The awards ceremony was the highlight of the European Cultural Heritage Summit, held in Nicosia from 26 to 30 May and organised by Europa Nostra, which was co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme.
Guests of honour included Cyprus’s Deputy Minister of Culture, Dr Vasiliki Kassianidou, and Prof Dr Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra.
The awards recognise up to 30 heritage projects each year, including up to five that receive Grand Prix awards, the European Commission and Europa Nostra said.
