The European Commission has already published the official call for entries for the European Green Leaf 2022 (EGLA) and European Green Capital 2023 (EGCA) awards, which aim to recognise the progress made by cities committed to sustainability.

This year, the deadline for submissions will remain open until 28 October and the financial allocation for both awards will be up to one million euros combined, to support cities in effectively implementing new urban sustainability measures. This increase in the prize money aims to raise awareness of the objectives of the European Green Deal.

Prize money and benefits

The two winning municipalities or cities of the European Green Leaf 2022 award will each receive 200,000 euros, while the winning city of the European Green Capital 2023 call will receive 600,000 euros. The main objective of both grants is to make the winning cities take on new responsibilities in the fields of sustainability and environment.

In addition to the economic award, the winners of both prizes will have a seal of approval from the European Commission that will allow them to enjoy benefits such as increased media coverage at an international level, as well as receiving a greater focus on environmental projects and foreign investment.

Furthermore, not only the winning cities or municipalities will benefit, as the finalist cities will have access to a knowledge network that already includes the most outstanding candidates from previous years, where they can share knowledge about how to learn to overcome new key challenges in terms of sustainability.

Deadlines and requirements for submission of applications

The European Green Leaf 2022 awards are aimed at municipalities with a population of between 20,000 and 99,999 inhabitants, with a maximum of two population centres to be awarded. On the other hand, the European Green Capital 2023 award remains open to cities with a population of more than 100,000 inhabitants.

The 28th of October 2020 at 23:59 (CET) is the date and time limit for all nominations to be submitted to both awards. All information on how to register, the rules and legal bases, as well as the participation process, can be found on the official website.

La importancia de los datos abiertos en las smart cities

When we talk about open data in smart cities we refer to a basic concept to understand the development of smart cities and the processes of active participation of citizens.

In an increasingly digital society, the importance of data processing and management is essential for companies and administrations. In this sense, smart cities are not an exception, as they represent an important opportunity to check the usefulness of this information to promote new ways of citizen participation in smart cities, to boost informed decision-making and to improve the efficiency of public services.