The REGIOSTARS Awards are a yearly competition, organised by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy. It aims at identifying good practices in regional development and highlighting innovative, EU-funded projects, which could be attractive and inspiring to other regions.

The REGIOSTARS are awarded to projects in five thematic categories (smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, urban development and a topic of the year). In 2021, the REGIOSTARS are focused on five areas that are crucial part of the EU’s regional policy:

• SMART Europe: Increasing the competitiveness of local businesses in a digital world
• GREEN Europe: Green and resilient communities in urban and rural setting
• FAIR Europe: Fostering inclusion and anti-discrimination
• URBAN Europe: Promoting green, sustainable and circular food systems in functional urban areas
• TOPIC OF THE YEAR: Enhancing green mobility in the regions: European Year of Rail 2021

The application shall refer to a project, which has received EU co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Social Fund, or a project which has received EU funding under Interreg IPA-CBC or Interreg ENI-CBC programmes, starting earliest on 1 January 2007.

The project must clearly refer to one of the five award categories of 2021. The same project cannot be submitted for several categories. The application shall include an endorsement letter of the relevant managing authority.

A panel of high-level academics in the respective fields will assess the submitted applications and select the winners. In addition, the public will decide on its own winner among the finalists through a public on-line vote and award the Public choice award to one of the projects.

The winners in the five categories, and the winner of the public choice, will receive their price at the festive REGIOSTARS ceremony, to take place in Dubrovnik, Croatia in December 2021. The winners of the five categories will also get a paid media partnership worth EUR 5 000.

The application shall be submitted via the REGIOSTARS online platform no later than 9 May 2021.

Official documentation and additional information are available here