We encourage you to submit your projects to this year's edition of the REGIOSTARS competition. The contest is organised by the European Commission and aims to promote important and interesting EU co-funded projects that contributed to improving economic, social and territorial cohesion. The REGIOSTARS award has already become a European quality label awarded to projects financed by the EU, and we are proud that in the previous edition of the competition, the PBU project "Invisible heritage: exchange and implementation of good practice in access to culture for persons with a visual impairment" (acronym TouchingThePast), was one of the five finalists in "A Social and Inclusive Europe" category.

Projects can be submitted in the following categories:    

1. A Competitive and Smart Europe
   Promoting competitiveness, innovation and economic resilience

2. A Green Europe
   The green transition as the enabler of regional development

3. A Connected Europe
   Enhancing mobility and connectivity between regions

4. A Social and Inclusive Europe
   Achieving a more inclusive Europe by harnessing regional talents

5. A Europe Closer to the Citizens
   Fostering the sustainable development of all types of territories

The prize for the winner in each category and for the project distinguished by audience votes is a local communication campaign carried out in cooperation with the European Commission - Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) to promote the winning activities in the region concerned.

Finalists will be invited to the final selection stage during the European Week of Regions and Cities, which will take place on 8^th October 2024 in Brussels. Before this stage, each finalist will participate in a training session about the presentation of the project.

How to apply?

By 20^th May 2024, please inform the JTS (email address: agnieszka.cwikla@pbu2020.eu) about your intention to submit your project (only PBU projects) to the competition. The project should fit into one of the thematic categories above.

The application may concern a project that received EU co-financing after 1^st January 2014. Only completed projects will be taken into account, i.e. projects under which all planned activities were carried out and all financial contributions were received, and which were considered closed by the Programme Managing Authority.

From among the submitted proposals, the JTS, together with the Managing Authority, will select five projects that best meet the criteria (one programme can submit only five projects). Then, the Managing Authority will issue letters of support for selected projects. In the next stage, beneficiaries of selected projects should send an application (completed in Polish or English) via the REGIOSTARS online platform (we are here to help you in this regard).

Additional information about the REGIOSTARS Awards 2024 is available on the EC website

If you have any questions about the application process, please read the guide.

The REGIOSTARS award winners will be announced on 9^th October at a ceremony in Brussels.

We encourage the submission of projects and hope that this year, too, we will be able to show a project implemented under the Programme in Brussels.