New European Bauhaus Prizes 2026: the winners are announced on 15 October
The sixth round of the NEB Prizes rewards projects that make places sustainable, inclusive and beautiful — the same integrated view of sustainability that X-VET brings into VET.
The New European Bauhaus (NEB) is the EU initiative that connects the European Green Deal with everyday life: buildings, public spaces, products and ways of living that are sustainable, inclusive and beautiful at the same time. Each year, the NEB Prizes showcase projects that put this idea into practice — from renovated neighbourhoods and circular building materials to community gardens, cultural centres and new forms of local cooperation.
The 2026 edition is the sixth round of the prizes. Applications closed on 17 March 2026, the finalists were presented at the NEB Festival in June, and the winners will be announced at the NEB Awards Ceremony on 15 October 2026. Finalists also join an accelerator programme with coaching, strategic guidance and communication support.
Four themes
- Enhancing circularity, sustainability and innovation
- Strengthening local democracy and inclusion
- Arts, culture and heritage as drivers of change
- Enablers for New European Bauhaus transformation
Projects from all EU Member States, the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova could apply — so organisations in all seven X-VET partner countries, including Serbia, were eligible. An international strand features projects from Brazil and Japan, and a separate strand, the NEB Boost for Small Municipalities, supports projects in rural areas and communities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants, with a focus on the renovation and adaptation of buildings and public spaces.
Why it matters for VET
The New European Bauhaus shows that sustainability is not only a technical question but also one of values, culture and community. That is the whole-organisation approach X-VET takes in vocational education: green, digital and economic change go together. Many NEB projects — from circular construction and renovation to local food and crafts — depend on skilled vocational professionals, and the initiative already runs a New European Bauhaus Academy to boost sustainability skills in the construction sector. For VET schools, the prize-winning projects are a rich source of real cases for teaching sustainability.
