Out of as many as 300 submitted projects - a record number compared to previous years - the expert jury selected 30 winners of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards 2026, the highest recognition in the field of heritage in Europe. Among them is the Croatian Coral Center Zlarin, the only awarded project from Croatia this year.
The awards were presented at a grand ceremony held at the Municipal Theatre in Nicosia, Cyprus. This was the central event of the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2026, taking place from 26 to 30 May in Nicosia under the patronage of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, H.E. Nikos Christodoulides, the Deputy Minister of Culture of Cyprus, Dr Vasiliki Kassianidou, Prof. Dr Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra, as well as other distinguished guests.
The awards ceremony brought together around 500 heritage experts and volunteers from across Europe and beyond. The summit was organised by Europa Nostra, Europe’s leading civil society network in the field of heritage, with co-funding from the European Union’s Creative Europe programme.
Prof. Dr Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra, emphasised that the outstanding projects and people honoured in Nicosia remind us that heritage lies at the heart of European identity and society. “Coming from 18 countries across the continent, the winners of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards 2026 demonstrate the power of heritage in shaping more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient communities,” he stated.
The Croatian Coral Centre Zlarin was awarded in the category Citizen Engagement and Awareness-Raising, in which 8 best projects were selected out of a total of 104 submissions. The award at the ceremony in Nicosia was received by Gorana Barišić Bačelić, Director of the Fortress of Culture Šibenik, the institution managing the Coral Center. The Center’s manager, Katarina Gregov, also participated in the summit.
“This award is all the more valuable as it proves that our Coral Center is not merely a museum display preserving Zlarin’s coral heritage, but a place that brings the local community together. I am pleased that we were able to present to our European colleagues a Center that has brought new value to island social life, and this exceptional heritage recognition is the best gift for the Center’s third anniversary,” said the Head of the Croatian Coral Center Zlarin.
Under the motto “Heritage as the soul of Mare Nostrum”, the summit in Nicosia highlighted the (geo)political, social, and environmental importance of heritage for Europe and the wider Mediterranean region.
“Thanks to Europa Nostra for this recognition, which has shown us that even the smallest islands can carry great stories whose significance reaches far beyond their shores. Projects like this truly confirm that heritage transforms communities and connects people,” emphasised Gorana Barišić Bačelić, Director of the Fortress of Culture Šibenik.
