Guimarães, Águeda, and Vaasa win 2026 European Green City awards

The winners of the European Green Cities 2026 Awards were announced yesterday afternoon. Guimarães (Portugal) will be the European Green Capital in 2026, and the European Green Leaf, the award for smaller cities, went to Águeda (Portugal) and Vaasa (Finland).
The expert jury crowned Guimarães as the 2026 European Green Capital winner for successfully making sustainability and circularity part of its culture, with the support of the whole community. The jury was also impressed by the way the city connects creativity with science and data.

Both Green Leaf winners, Águeda and Vaasa, impressed the jury with their unique approaches to engaging their communities in the green transition.

Águeda was praised for its comprehensive and structured approach to sustainability, and inclusion of the whole community through online dashboards. The jury also recognised the role of art and culture as powerful driving forces behind sustainable transition.