The REGIOSTARS Awards 2026 have reached a new milestone, attracting a record 274 applications from across Europe. The annual competition celebrates the most innovative and impactful projects supported by EU cohesion policy.
This year, 58 ESF/ESF+ projects applied for the competition, including three projects with combined ESF/ESF+ and ERDF funding. Following the eligibility check, 51 projects advanced to the jury evaluation.
The jury has now selected the 25 finalists, including six ESF+ projects.
A particularly strong result comes in the "A Social and Inclusive Europe" category, where all five finalists are ESF/ESF+ projects from Czechia, Finland, France, Germany and Lithuania. This means that the 2026 REGIOSTARS winner in this category will be an ESF/ESF+ project.
In the "A Europe Closer to the Citizens" category, the ESF-funded Housing for Roma Inclusion project from Romania has also reached the final.
Public Choice Award
The six ESF+ finalists will also compete for the Public Choice Award, which will be decided by an online vote open from 3 September until 14 October (12:00 CET). Citizens across Europe will be invited to vote for their favourite project before the winner is announced during the REGIOSTARS Awards Ceremony.
Timeline
The finalists were announced on 14 July. They will present their projects during the European Week of Regions and Cities on 13 October, before the REGIOSTARS Awards Ceremony on 14 October, where the five category winners and the Public Choice Award winner will be revealed.
Congratulations to all ESF+ finalists, and good luck in the final stage of the competition!
