LIFE Awards

Finalists

Every year, the European Commission assess all completed LIFE projects based on various criteria:

contribution to immediate and long-term environmental, economic and social improvements
degree of innovation and transferability
relevance to policy
cost-effectiveness.

The most successful projects are then shortlisted as finalists and go on to compete in the LIFE Awards.

The LIFE Awards ceremony

The 2026 edition marked the 20th anniversary of the LIFE Awards, celebrating two decades of outstanding EU-funded projects delivering tangible impact on the ground.

The winners were selected by an expert jury and announced during the ceremony, which took place as part of EU Green Week – Europe’s largest environmental event.

This year’s ceremony took place on Wednesday, 3 June 2026, from 18:00 to 20:00 (CEST), in Brussels, Belgium.

LIFE Awards 2026

This year, 9 finalist LIFE projects were selected as some of the most creative and impactful initiatives supporting a greener Europe across three categories.

Nature Protection & Biodiversity

Honouring projects that make an outstanding contribution to protecting and restoring nature and biodiversity across Europe.

The LIFE Award for Nature Protection and Biodiversity went to LIFE Danube floodplains, which has successfully restored and managed threatened and degraded Danube floodplain habitats. The runners-up in this category were Egyptian Vulture New LIFE and LIFE WOLFALPS EU.

Circular Economy & Quality of Life

Recognising projects that promote sustainable resource use, reduce pollution and improve citizens’ quality of life.

The LIFE Award for Circular Economy and Quality of Life went to LIFE Turn to e-circular, which built awareness of a circular economy for household electrical and electronic equipment in Slovenia. The runners-up in this category were LIFE Fitting and LIFE AIRFRESH.

Climate Action

Celebrating projects that contribute significantly to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The LIFE Award for Climate Action went to LIFE WetLands4CLIMATE, which successfully demonstrated that properly managing, restoring and conserving Mediterranean wetlands is an effective way to mitigate climate change and preserve biodiversity. Runners-up in this category were LIFE CLIMATE SMART CHEFS and LIFE Climate value chains.

Citizens’ Prize and Special Award

Egyptian Vulture New LIFE won the LIFE Citizens’ Prize, awarded to the LIFE project that receives the highest public vote in an online poll. The 5-year, €5.8 million project — one of the most ambitious vulture conservation initiatives ever undertaken — successfully halted the decline in the Balkan population of Egyptian Vultures and mounted an awareness raising campaign which reached an astonishing 25 million people in 14 countries across Europe, Asia and Africa.

The 2026 Special Award — for an outstanding LIFE project for exceptional work done in a specific field — was won by LIFE Olivares Vivos, which worked to protect and restore biodiversity in olive groves across southern Spain. The Special Award reflects the theme of European Green Week 2026, exploring the challenges linked to investing in a nature-positive economy.

Previous editions

Find out more about previous best projects and LIFE Awards winners: