EU Green Capital & EU Green Leaf Awards

The 2026 winners of the EU Green Capital and EU Green Leaf Awards will be announced on 27 November at an award ceremony in Valencia, Spain, Europe’s 2024 Green Capital.

The finalists have been selected based on their accomplishments and ambitions in addressing urban environmental challenges. They have been recognised for their innovative solutions, supported by strong governance frameworks, to create healthy environments for their citizens.

The finalists for the 2026 European Green Capital prize for cities with over 100 000 inhabitants are: 

• Helibronn (Germany)
• Guimarães (Portugal)
• Klagenfurt on Lake Wörthersee (Austria) 

The finalists for the 2026 European Green Leaf prize for smaller cities with 20 000 inhabitants are: 

• Agueda (Portugal)
• Saint-Quentin (France)
• Sant Boi de Llobregat (Spain)
• Vaasa (Finland)

The EU Green Capital and EU Green Leaf Awards recognise the achievements of Europe's top sustainable cities in the following seven environmental areas:

• air quality
• water management
• biodiversity, green areas, and sustainable land use
• waste and circular economy
• noise pollution
• climate change mitigation
• climate change adaptation

Sustainable urban mobility is highlighted in several of the 2026 entries, with special recognition given to Klagenfurt am Wörthersee for its investments in sustainable city logistics and to Águeda for introducing its shared-use e-bicycle system.

Visit the EU Green Capital & EU Green Leaf Awards website for more information.