The European Commission opened applications for the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023 on 6 December. The 2023 competition will reward 15 exemplary initiatives linking sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusiveness – the three core values of the New European Bauhaus.
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What is the objective of the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
By rewarding and putting real-life examples and young talents’ great ideas into the limelight, the New European Bauhaus (NEB) prizes aim to demonstrate that sustainability promoted by the European Green Deal can be inclusive and bring beauty and high-quality experiences for people’s everyday lives and in local communities across Europe. It helps bring the NEB closer to citizens and inspire more people to start their own projects.
In the last two editions, the Prizes received over 3,000 applications and rewarded excellence and creativity, showing that the New European Bauhaus is a real transformational movement happening on the ground.
What is different in the 2023 Prizes edition?
In the context of the European Year of Skills, the 2023 edition of the Prizes will feature an additional thematic strand on education and learning (Strand C). Moreover, the 2023 Prizes will welcome applications for projects and concepts implemented in the Western Balkans in addition to EU Member States.
The 2023 Prizes edition will award 15 prizes in total. While the jury will select 12 winners (one winner for each category in each strand), an open public voting will select 3 additional winners (one winner per strand). All winners will receive a monetary prize:
- 30,000 for winners of the New European Bauhaus Champions (Strand A) and New European Bauhaus Education Champions (Strand C),
- 15,000 for winners of the New European Bauhaus Rising Stars (Strand B).
As in previous editions, each prize winner will also benefit from a communications package provided by the Commission, which includes promotion on the Commission’s social media and websites, production of a short video and support in promoting the projects.
What types of projects are eligible?
The New European Bauhaus 2023 Prizes continue to reward both existing projects and new ideas and concepts by young talents. In the European Year of Skills, this 2023 edition will also award initiatives focusing on education and learning.
In each of the four established categories, reconnecting with nature; regaining a sense of belonging; prioritising the places and people that need it the most; and, the need for long-term, life-cycle thinking in the industrial ecosystem, there are three parallel competition strands:
- Strand A: “New European Bauhaus Champions“: devoted to existing and completed projects with clear and positive results.
These projects do not necessarily have be a building or a material product. For all four categories, they can also take the shape of realised/implemented processes, methods, and business models that, for instance, promote new economic models.
Projects under this strand must have already been fully completed at the time of the application. That means that there are no missing components to the project (physical/tangible or intangible components). Moreover, projects in this strand need to have been implemented or applied in at least one specific case.
- Strand B: “New European Bauhaus Rising Stars“: dedicated to concepts submitted by young talents aged 30 or less. The concepts can be at different stages of development, from ideas with a clear plan to the prototype level.
Like under strand A, these concepts do not necessarily have to be a building or a material product. For all four categories, they can also take the shape of processes, methods, and business models, etc.
The concepts should be presented with a development plan, outlining the steps envisaged to further develop, promote and/or implement the concept with a particular focus on the year following the application.
- Strand C: “New European Bauhaus Education Champions“: devoted to initiatives focusing on education and learning. Both completed projects, as well as initiatives with a minimum level of maturity are eligible.
Here we are looking for initiatives in the fields of education, learning (formal and non-formal), training, youth, and knowledge. These initiatives do not need to have a physical manifestation in the form of a building. For all four categories, they can also involve new multi-disciplinary curricula, study programmes, pedagogical methodology, toolkits, etc.
The application under this strand should describe their methodology or approach and demonstrate a commitment to implement the project in practice.
All applications in all strands should reflect in an exemplary way the New European Bauhaus triangle of values sustainability, inclusion, and aesthetics/quality of experience while also placing the participation and vision of local communities at the core of the process.
Each application can be submitted under one category and in one strand only. Each applicant can submit multiple applications as long as they are related to different projects, concepts, or initiatives.
Please see the Applicants Guide for more information about eligibility criteria.
What are the categories for the prizes this year?
As in 2022, the 2023 Prizes will be awarded in four categories which are based on the thematic axes of transformation that guide the delivery of the New European Bauhaus:
Reconnecting with nature
We will be looking at inspirational examples of beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive projects that bring individuals and communities closer to nature, that contribute to regenerate natural ecosystems and prevent loss of biodiversity or invite them to reconsider their relationship with nature in a life-centred perspective, as an alternative to the human-centred one.
Regaining a sense of belonging
We will be looking at inspirational examples of beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive projects that contribute to bringing a sense of belonging, a “spirit” or “meaning” of places, communities or products and that celebrate diversity.
Prioritising the places and people that need it the most
We will be looking at inspirational examples of beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive projects that contribute to addressing the needs of territories, communities and individuals that need particular and urgent attention because of specific economic, social, or physical characteristics.
Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking
We will be looking at inspirational examples of beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive projects that contribute to the transformation of the industrial ecosystems towards more sustainable practices in a spirit of circularity, considering relevant social aspects.
Please see the Applicants Guide for more information and examples of projects and concepts in each category.
Who can apply for the New European Bauhaus prizes?
Both EU and non-EU residents are welcomed to apply, as long as their projects, concepts or ideas are implemented in the EU or in the Western Balkans. Group of individuals and organisations applications are also possible.
Applicants to Strand B must be aged 30 or less on the final day of call for applications. In Strands A and C there is no age limit.
Experts, thinkers, doers, neighbours, ministers, students, educators, or researchers are invited to submit applications under Strand C, which is dedicated to initiatives focusing on education and learning.
Eligible applications which have not been awarded a New European Bauhaus prize in any of the strands and categories in previous editions of the Prizes, may submit applications of the same project, concept, or initiative again, provided they follow the eligibility criteria included in the Applicants Guide.
What is the selection process?
The selection process will take place in several steps:
- Eligibility check (planned for February 2023): the Evaluation Committee composed of Commission representatives will check that the entries are eligible (the Committee will not evaluate the applications themselves).
- Quality assessment (planned for March-April 2023): external experts selected by the Commission through a ”Call for Expression of Interest’ will evaluate the applications and attribute points based on the award criteria in the Applicants Guide. This call is open until 31 January 2023.
- Public voting (planned for May 2023): finalists’ applications selected in the previous selection process will be published on the website for public voting where one winner in each strand will be selected.
- Jury assessment (planned for May 2023): the finalists’ applications will be assessed by a final jury of experts composed of nine members.
- Establishment of the results (planned for May-June 2023): the Commission will award the prizes to the selected winners based on the recommendations of the Evaluation Committee.
Source: European Commission
