There are three awards categories: SMEs Driving Energy Efficiency, Local Energy Action and Women in Energy.
The EUSEW Local Energy Action Award recognises implemented clean energy actions, driven by a group of citizens, consumers, a municipality or other stakeholders, which contribute to the clean energy transition at the community or local level. Selected Local Energy Actions should be able to inspire and motivate others to implement similar solutions across the EU, resulting in wider social, economic and environmental benefits.
The call to apply for the Local Energy Action category is now closed. However, the guidelines below remain available for reference to all applicants.
The following eligibility criteria apply to all submissions. Meeting the eligibility criteria is mandatory. Applications that do not meet these criteria will be excluded from the evaluation.
Geographical scope
Activities, projects or actions must be carried out in at least one country located in the European Union or the European Economic Area.
Practical implementation
The EUSEW Local Energy Action Award highlights outstanding activities, projects or actions carried out by associations, organisations and groups of people. Academic studies and theoretical research actions without any long-term, real-scale application directly linked to sustainable energy are not eligible. Activities promoting commercial products already on the market are also excluded.
Timing
The activities, projects or actions must be ongoing or recently concluded (after 31 December 2024). Activities, projects or actions that are still in the planning stage or have not yet delivered results are not eligible.
Previous winners and finalists
Activities, projects or actions that have previously been shortlisted as EUSEW Awards finalists are not eligible to re-enter the competition. Organisations or individuals that have previously been shortlisted are eligible if they present new activities, projects or actions.
All applications will be checked against the eligibility criteria set out above before being assessed. The evaluation process then consists of:
- an assessment by European Commission staff and an external technical committee; and
- a selection of three finalists per category by a high-level jury.
The winner will be decided via an online public vote and announced at the Awards Ceremony taking place in Brussels on Tuesday 9 June 2026.
Applications will be scored on three criteria, with a maximum score of 10 points each. An application can therefore receive a maximum score of 30 points.
Concept (10 points)
Applicants should explain why their activity is a best-in-class example in their field. Applications should focus on highlighting elements of originality that will drive change towards the clean energy transition.
Implementation (10 points)
Applications should elaborate on how the activity translates the concept into action. All actions should be clearly described and explain the key steps towards implementation. Applications should highlight if elements of the activity are reproducible and scalable.
Impact (10 points)
Applicants should explain what the impacts of the activities described are. Each winning activity carried out by the action should have a significant impact (relative to the size of the action) and make a positive contribution to the EU energy and climate targets.
- Launch of the call: 25 November 2025
- Closing of the call: 29 January 2026
- Evaluation period: February to mid-March 2026
- Communication of results: 19 March 2026
- Production of promotion material: End of March to end of April 2026
- Opening of the public vote: 5 May to 31 May 2026
- EUSEW Awards Ceremony: 9 June 2026
Dates are indicative and subject to change.
By applying to the EUSEW Awards 2026 competition, the shortlisted finalists and winners agree to support the promotion of the Awards and its results by:
- providing additional information about the finalist to the EUSEW organising team for the development of promotional material, including but not limited to providing photos, quotes and taking part in a filmed interview;
- using promotional materials to promote the Awards voting on any available channels (such as social media, newsletters, network of contacts, organisation website, etc.) in a strategic and effective manner to encourage the public vote for their action;
- participating in possible follow-up activities in the course of 2026 and beyond (e.g. meetings, events, video production, etc.); and
- granting the European Commission the right to use, for its communication and publicising activities, information relating to the initiative.
The European Commission will promote the initiatives through its regular and ad hoc channels. Photos and videos taken by the European Commission either in preparation for the Awards Ceremony or during the Awards Ceremony are the sole property of the European Commission.
We invite you to read our FAQ section. Should you have any additional questions about the Awards, please contact the EUSEW Secretariat at awards
eusew [dot] eu (awards[at]eusew[dot]eu).
The EUSEW Info Session took place on 3 December 2025. The recording and slides can be found on the dedicated page.
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