REGIOSTARS awards 2021 celebrate Smart-Green-Fair-Urban Europe

The European Commission launched the 14th edition of REGIOSTARS awards 2021 that rewards each year the best projects of Cohesion policy. Regiostars awards are the yearly competition organised by DG REGIO since 2008.

Launch of the REGIOSTARS Awards 2021

REGIOSTARS awards event has become the Europe’s label of excellence for EU-funded projects. REGIOSTARS awards demonstrate innovative and inclusive approaches to regional development. Each year hundreds of projects compete in five categories: Smart Europe, Green Europe, Fair Europe, Urban Europe, and the topic of the year. The public can participate by voting for their favourite project among all finalists for the public choice award. By bringing about solutions to common challenges and tapping into the biggest opportunities, the Regiostars have inspired regions to deliver evermore-impactful EU regional policy.

Beneficiaries of all EU Cohesion policy-funded projects are encouraged to submit their application on five thematic categories: ‘Smart Europe: increasing the competitiveness of local businesses in a digital world’; ‘Green Europe: green and resilient communities in rural and urban settings’; ‘Fair Europe: fostering inclusion and anti-discrimination’; ‘Urban Europe: promoting green, sustainable circular food systems in functional urban areas’; ‘Topic of the year: enhancing green mobility in the regions in the European Year of Rail 2021’ #EUYearofRail.

Thematic focus

The REGIOSTARS are awarded to projects in five thematic categories (smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, urban development and a topic of the year).

In 2021, the REGIOSTARS awards are focussed on five areas that are crucial part of the EU’s regional policy:

• SMART Europe: Increasing the competitiveness of local businesses in a digital world
• GREEN Europe: Green and resilient communities in urban and rural setting
• FAIR Europe: Fostering inclusion and anti-discrimination
• URBAN Europe: Promoting green, sustainable and circular food systems in functional urban areas
• TOPIC OF THE YEAR: Enhancing green mobility in the regions: European Year of Rail 2021

A panel of high-level academics in the respective fields will assess the submitted applications and select the winners. In addition, the public will decide on its own winner among the finalists through a public on-line vote and award the Public choice award to one of the projects.

Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, commented: “Thanks to this year’s REGIOSTARS categories, we want to show how local and regional Cohesion policy projects are key in contributing to the current EU’s top priorities for a smart, green and fair economy for all. For the first time, we have introduced the citizens’ dimension as a cross-cutting criterion in the project applications for all categories, as citizens are at the heart of Cohesion policy.”

How to apply?

The Guide for Applicants provides you with all the necessary information to make your project a winner. Next to the detailed description of this year’s REGIOSTARS awards 2021 categories, the eligibility and award criteria, this Guide contains a practical handbook to guide you through the process.

The competition will be open until 9 May 2021. An independent jury of high-level experts will select the winners that will be announced in December 2021. The public will also be invited to choose their own favourite project. Since 2008, the REGIOSTARS are Europe’s awards to cohesion policy–funded projects that demonstrate excellence and new approaches in regional development.

As a novelty, in 2021 the finalists are invited to training sessions on communication as part of the European Week of Regions and Cities in October. The winners in the five categories, and the winner of the public choice, will receive their well-deserved prize at the festive REGIOSTARS ceremony, to take place in Dubrovnik, Croatia in December 2021.

eudebates REGIOSTARS awards 2021