The REGIOSTARS are back!

The REGIOSTARS Awards are now open for applications! 

The REGIOSTARS is the most prestigious label of excellence for EU-funded projects in regional development. The contest is fiercely competitive, and being nominated for the finals is in itself a hallmark of distinction. 

Did your project reach impressive achievements, and has it left a lasting legacy? Then your project may be eligible, providing it fits one of the award categories and has closed or will be fully closed by 22 May 2026 and we urge you to explore this fantastic possibility to shine a light on your project at the European scene. 

Projects from the VB and VIB periods may apply. Projects that have already applied for the REGIOSTARS Awards in a previous year may re-apply once, unless they were nominated for the finals in a previous round. 

You must apply within one of the following categories: 

1. A competitive and smart Europe
2. A green Europe
3. A connected Europe
4. A social and inclusive Europe
5. A Europe closer to citizens.

Applying for the REGIOSTARS Awards involves the following steps:

📅 By 13 April 2026 23.59:59 – Interreg North Sea projects submit their draft REGIOSTARS applications to the Joint Secretariat. Please send the filled-in application form to info@interregnorthsea.eu 
📅 End of April – The joint Secretariat will review the submissions and endorse up to five applications*.  
📅 Early May– We will inform you whether your REGIOSTARS application has been endorsed. If your application is endorsed, we will support you to fine-tune your entry. 
📅 By 22 May 23:59:59 (at the latest) – Lead partners of the projects endorsed by the Joint Secretariat must submit their final applications via the European Commission's online system.
📅 14 July: The European Commission announces the finalists. 

*To apply, you will need an endorsement letter from the Joint Secretariat. Since a maximum of five projects may apply per programme, we may have to select among the entries. 

Please note that all deadlines are handled very strictly. Any failure to meet the deadlines mentioned above means your application will not be eligible.

Click the link below to find out much more about the contest and download the application form. 

Please note that you can only submit your application to the European Commission after you have first obtained a Letter of Endorsement from the North Sea Programme. The early deadline mentioned above is set to allow the Joint secretariat to review and select among the applications in case we receive more than the maximum five we can endorse. 

Being shortlisted or winning the REGIOSTARS Awards provides European publicity for your project. It shines a light on the project as well as on the partners behind it. The prize or nomination can provide extra authority for any follow-up projects you have in mind, or boost existing follow-up projects. 

So far, seven Interreg North Sea projects have been shortlisted for the prize, and two of them won (BEGIN and BITS). Both finalists and winners were thrilled and found their participation helped them put their project on the European map. 

The last project to take home a REGIOSTAR Award was BITS, winner in the category Connected Europe in 2024. Wim Dijkstra, mobility strategist at the lead partner organisation, the Province of Overijssel, said: "This was a wonderful surprise! We didn't count on it and we are really honoured. This prestigious award absolutely reinforces our Province's commitment to cycling and to innovate by working across borders." 

BITS project manager Ronald Jorna said: "Receiving such a recognition gives a real boost to all the BITS partners. It also energises the partnership in the follow-up project MegaBITS to do even more!"