Applications for the 11th Access City Award competition are now open. EU cities are invited to take part in the Access City Award 2021, the EU Prize for cities accessible to persons with disabilities and elderly people.

The Access City Award recognizes the efforts made by cities to become more accessible, promotes equal access to urban life for people with disabilities and allows local authorities to share their best practices.

The award is open to cities of over 50,000 inhabitants in one of the EU Member States. In Member States with less than two such cities, urban areas composed of two or more towns may also participate if their combined population exceeds 50,000 inhabitants.

This new edition of the Access City Award will take into account the current global situation and a special mention “Accessibility of public services in times of pandemic” will be created to reward cities’ efforts.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

The call is open to cities implementing strategies and measures to improve the accessibility of the urban environment in four areas:

• Environment and public spaces.
• Transport and related infrastructure.
• Public facilities and services.

The selection process will have two stages. A National Jury will be set up in the member states where cities apply. The National Juries are composed of a minimum of three and a maximum of five members with different areas of experience. The Jury’s members have the task to assess the applications submitted by the cities. The national candidates that are admitted to the second phase of the competition will be assessed by the European Jury.

The Access City Award rewards each year three cities. Applicant cities may also receive a special mention, depending on annual policy priorities or specific highlights of the submissions.

BUDGET

Since the 10th anniversary of the Award (ACA2020), the European Commission awards a financial incentive of EUR 350.000. This amount shall be shared among the three winning cities of the Access City Award.

The funds shall be allocated as follows:

1. 150.000 € to the winner of the title of Accessible City 2021 (first place)
2. 120.000 € to the winner of the second place
3. 80.000 € to the winner of the third place

Applications must be made by completing and submitting the online application form by 9 September 2020, 24:00 CET.