Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul, and the cities of Oulu and Stockholm have been announced as the winners of the top prizes at the Eurocities Awards 2026. All of the winners have shown exceptional dedication to strengthening local democracy, accelerating climate action and tackling poverty through more inclusive support.
This year, the Eurocities Awards celebrated outstanding city initiatives and the inspiring local leaders driving change. The winning projects show how cities are adapting proven solutions to local needs, while building fairer, greener and more resilient communities.
The City Heroes Award recognised politicians for their exceptional leadership or initiatives, at the local or European level. The inspiring local leaders nominated were Alessandro Ghinelli, Mayor of Arezzo, Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Mayor of Malmo, and Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul.
The Inspiring City Initiative Award highlighted cities that have adapted and applied proven solutions in their own local communities, with awards categories focused on ‘urban climate action’ and ‘breaking gendered poverty cycles.’
City Heroes award winner
Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was chosen for his extraordinary dedication and democratic leadership as Mayor of Istanbul. Since taking office in 2019, he has promoted inclusive governance, expanding affordable childcare, supporting families and delivering services across the city’s 39 districts. Despite being unjustly imprisoned since March 2025 and facing politically motivated charges, Mayor İmamoğlu remains a powerful symbol of local democracy, public service and resilience.
In a letter to accept his award, Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul, said: “This is not simply an honour given to one mayor. It is a message of solidarity with the democratic will of Istanbul, with elected local government, and with millions of citizens in Turkiye who continue to defend democracy under immense pressure.”
Inspiring City Initiative Award winner: Urban climate action
This award recognised city initiatives that embed climate action across wider local policies, from housing and mobility to public health, inclusion and economic development.
Oulu won for its Sustainable Future Learning Stream project, a city-wide lifelong learning model that turns climate strategy into everyday action, from early childhood education through to upper secondary level. Developed over five years and integrated into local curricula, the initiative combines climate literacy, circular economy and nature-based learning through outdoor education, food councils and school-level climate projects.
Ari Alatossava, Mayor of Oulu, said: “Our project is about people turning sustainability into action. A sustainable future starts with learning, and through this project, children are bringing that knowledge back into their communities. Europe’s greatest achievements come from collaboration, shared ideas and mutual inspiration.”
Second place went to Paris, for greening school playgrounds for children and communities. Third place went to Rotterdam, for reducing textile waste through reuse. The other finalists were Istanbul, for transforming a flood-prone corridor into green space, and Manchester, for bringing climate action into local communities.
Inspiring City Initiative Award winner: Breaking gendered poverty cycles
This award recognised city initiatives that tackle poverty through a gender and inclusion lens, making support more accessible to women, LGBTQIA+ people, single-parent families and other marginalised groups.
Stockholm won for its Neighbourhood Mothers project, which employs women with first-hand experience of migrating to Sweden to support newly arrived women in their own communities. Since 2018, the City of Stockholm has employed 98 Neighbourhood Mothers, collectively reaching around 3,000 women every year, helping to reduce isolation, build trust and support women’s path to employment, education, healthcare and social services.
Lars Stromgren, Vice Mayor of Stockholm, said: “The 100 mothers couldn’t join us today, nor could the 3,000 migrant women and men who have been supported thanks to this project. The essence of networks like Eurocities is to get inspired and inspire others. I hope our project will inspire others to start similar projects, as Berlin inspired us to start this one.”
Second place was awarded to Dusseldorf, for supporting women and mothers experiencing homelessness through safe accommodation and tailored services. Third place went to Glasgow, for improving access to free period products and tackling period poverty.
Sharon Dijksma, Mayor of Utrecht and Chair of the Awards jury, which shortlisted nominees, said: “Congratulations to this year’s winners of the Eurocities Awards 2026. Their work shows how cities are responding to urgent challenges while building a fairer, more resilient future for people.
“Mayor İmamoğlu’s courage and leadership are a huge inspiration to mayors across Europe, who will continue to stand in solidarity with him and defend local democratic values. Oulu’s Climate Path project shows how climate action can start from the earliest years of life, while Stockholm’s Neighbourhood Mothers initiative helps migrant women overcome isolation and access crucial support. These awards celebrate the projects and people driving practical, lasting change in our cities.”
The awards ceremony took place on 9 June 2026, during the Eurocities Annual Conference, held in the Dutch city of Utrecht.
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Notes to Editors:
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- The Eurocities Awards showcase outstanding achievements by Eurocities member cities and individuals working for those cities in the delivery of local activities or practices which improve the quality of life for citizens. Take a closer look at the shortlisted finalists: https://eurocities.eu/awards
- Check out the finalists’ video presentations on YouTube: Eurocities Awards finalist videos 2026 – YouTube
- All photos can be found on the Eurocities Flickr page: Photos from the Eurocities Awards 2026 – Flickr
If you would like any specific photos from the awards ceremony, you can download them from the Flickr page, making sure you mention the photos are ‘copyright of Eurocities.’ - The shortlist for this year’s Eurocities Awards was chosen by an expert panel made up of: Sharon Dijksma, Mayor of Utrecht and chair of the jury; Dario Nardella, current Member of the European Parliament and former President of Eurocities and Mayor of Florence; Maarten Hajer, distinguished professor of Urban Futures and Futuring and Director of the Urban Futures Studio; Marijke Honing, a leading entrepreneur in Utrecht who runs McDonald’s five locations in the city. For just the second time, the winners of the Eurocities Awards were also voted on by city contact officers in the Eurocities network.
- The Eurocities Annual Conference focuses on a different theme each year. During this year’s three-day conference in Utrecht, more than 400 delegates from over 100 cities around Europe marked the network’s 40th anniversary, looking back on four decades of city cooperation while focusing on how cities can defend democracy and peace, drive climate and digital transitions, and keep citizens at the centre of Europe’s future. More information on Eurocities 2026 is available here: Eurocities 2026 Utrecht – Eurocities
- Eurocities wants to make cities places where everyone can enjoy a good quality of life, can move around safely, access quality and inclusive public services and benefit from a healthy environment. We do this by networking over 200 larger European cities, which together represent some 150 million people across 39 countries, and by gathering evidence of how policy making impacts people to inspire other cities and EU decision makers. Connect with us at eurocities.eu or by following our LinkedIn, Bluesky, Facebook and Youtube.
Media contact:
For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Kennedy, Eurocities communications advisor andrew.kennedy@eurocities.eu // Mob: 0032 (0) 470 65 01 73.
