25 years of the Landscape Convention: Europe seeks best practices for sustainable development
05 August 2025
The 9th session of the Council of Europe Landscape Award 2025-2026 will be held in 2025. For the Parties to the Council of Europe Landscape Convention, the Landscape Award aims to raise civil society awareness of the value of landscapes, their role and changes in them. This session of the award will mark the 25th anniversary of the Convention. The main objective is to recognise exemplary practical initiatives aimed at achieving successful landscape quality objectives in the territories of the Parties to the Convention and to reward highly achievable practical initiatives in this direction. The criteria for the award are: sustainable territorial development, high added value, public participation and awareness-raising.
The Council of Europe Landscape Award is a distinction awarded every two years to local and/or regional authorities, as well as their associations. Demonstrating a contribution to the landscape management policies of a Party to this Convention, namely the establishment of measures for the protection, management and/or planning of its landscape which have proven to be consistently effective and serve as an example to other territorial authorities in Europe. The award may also be given to non-governmental organisations with a particularly significant contribution to the protection, management or planning of landscapes.
Main criteria for the award of the Council of Europe Landscape Prize:
The project must be part of a sustainable development policy and:
The Council of Europe Landscape Award is a distinction awarded every two years to local and/or regional authorities, as well as their associations. Demonstrating a contribution to the landscape management policies of a Party to this Convention, namely the establishment of measures for the protection, management and/or planning of its landscape which have proven to be consistently effective and serve as an example to other territorial authorities in Europe. The award may also be given to non-governmental organisations with a particularly significant contribution to the protection, management or planning of landscapes.
Main criteria for the award of the Council of Europe Landscape Prize:
The project must be part of a sustainable development policy and:
- demonstrate ecological, economic, social, spatial, cultural and aesthetic sustainability;
- indicate both the ways of eliminating processes of landscape degradation and the impacts of improving, enriching and developing new qualities in them;
- be accompanied by a detailed cost estimate;
- provide for active public participation;
- raise public awareness of the importance and value of landscapes and the changes that have occurred in them.
The rules for applying for the award are set out in Resolution CM/Res (2008)3, adopted on 20 February 2008.
Applications are accepted at all regional environmental inspectorates and national park directorates until 30 September 2025.
You can submit your application, together with the other required and additional materials, to the Directorate of the Central Balkan National Park at the following e-mail address: office@centralbalkan.bg or at the following address: Gabrovo, PK 5300, ul. Bodra Smyana №3.
Applications must include a duly completed paper application form, together with a digital USB copy of the form and additional materials. A sample application form can be found HERE.
Applications are accepted at all regional environmental inspectorates and national park directorates until 30 September 2025.
You can submit your application, together with the other required and additional materials, to the Directorate of the Central Balkan National Park at the following e-mail address: office@centralbalkan.bg or at the following address: Gabrovo, PK 5300, ul. Bodra Smyana №3.
Applications must include a duly completed paper application form, together with a digital USB copy of the form and additional materials. A sample application form can be found HERE.