All Things Urban

The European sustainability award, co-organised by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the Basque Country, and the City of Aalborg (Denmark) and supported by the European Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank, is given to a city, region or civil society organisation, which uses the 15 pathways outlined in the Basque Declaration to bring about the socio-cultural, socio-economic, and technological transformation of their community.

The actions taken reflect local or regional contributions to the implementation of international goals and commitments, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Climate Agreement, and the European Green Deal.

REWARDS FOR THE WINNER

• €10.000 to kick-start a Transformative Action in your city, region or municipality
• Showcase on the Sustainable Cities Platform
• Promotion through ICLEI website, ICLEI in Europe e-newsletter and social media channels
• Publicity in publications related to sustainable development
• A trophy and the right to be called ‘Transformative Action of the year 2021’
• Digital ‘Transformative Action of the year 2021’ icon for use on websites, Social Media accounts and in email signature

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Any local or regional authority or civil society organisation located in any EU Member State, EEA country, EU candidate or accession country, or the United Kingdom that has endorsed the Basque Declaration and the Mannheim Message is eligible to submit an application.
• The applicant is responsible for the implementation of the Transformative Action.
• The Transformative Action must be in place for at least one month, but no longer than five years at the time of submission.
• Although a number of temporary sustainability measures have been introduced to allow cities to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, the award will only recognise measures that are consistent with the city’s broader sustainability goals, and actions, which the city hopes to make permanent post pandemic.
• Entries in the Transformative Action Award Database which were considered for the previous editions of the Award (2020-2017) will not be considered for the 2021 award.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

We are looking for transformative actions with a high level of innovation, for example in terms of social innovation and civic economy, that inspire others to replicate the action elsewhere in Europe. Actions, which are part of an integrated approach to delivering sustainability in the city or region and are linked to the thematic areas of the EU Green Deal are particularly sought after. In particular, those related to biodiversity, sustainable food systems, sustainable agriculture, clean energy, sustainable industry, building and renovation, sustainable mobility, pollution control, and climate action.

Transformative actions should combine various pathways and address one or more agendas of the Basque Declaration, and should achieve a comprehensive transformation with a positive local or regional impact.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

• Applicants should complete and submit their application form by 23.59 (CEST), 31 July 2021 through the Transformative Actions Database: http://www.sustainablecities.eu/submit-your-action/.

• All questions need to be answered using no more than the number of words allowed for each question. The insertion of links to videos, images and documents is allowed.

• All submissions in the database, which fulfill the eligibility criteria and were not considered for the previous editions of the award, will be automatically entered into the 2021 Award.

ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) is a global network of over 2,500 cities and regions committed to sustainable development. Founded in 1990, it helps local governments tackle climate change, rapid urbanization, and pollution through practical, eco-friendly, and equitable solutions