Today marks the launch of the RegioStars Awards 2016 by the European Commission's Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy.
The objective of RegioStars is to identify good practice in regional development and to highlight original and innovative projects which could be inspiring to other regions and project managers.

There are five RegioStars Award categories for 2016:

• Cat. 1 Smart Growth: Emerging opportunities in the global economy
• Cat. 2 Sustainable Growth: Circular Economy
• Cat. 3 Inclusive Growth: Integrated living - building inclusive and non-segregated communities
• Cat. 4 CityStar: Innovative solutions for sustainable urban development
• Cat. 5 Effective management: Making a difference by managing differently

After being selected by an independent jury, representatives from the finalist projects will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony and receive a certificate and a medal. They will also be included in a brochure, published by the European Commission, as well as in the online database of best practices on the Inforegio website.
This year's RegioStars award ceremony will take place on Tuesday, October 11, during the 2016 European Week of Regions and Cities.
The winners in each category will receive a RegioStars trophy and a certificate presented by European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, and the President of the RegioStars jury. For each winner a short video is also produced which will be published online followed by a promotional campaign on social media.
Applications can be sent by the regional or local Managing Authority, or by the project manager, but with the endorsement of the responsible Managing Authority.
To help you prepare your application, we provide the application form in Word format. However, as of this year, applications can no longer be sent in a Word document, but have to be submitted directly via the online form on the RegioStars platform.
This platform will be accessible from February 15th to April 15th.
The information should preferably be provided in English, but can also be submitted in French or German if necessary.

More information on the RegioStars Awards