European Association Awards 2026
Celebrating excellence in the Association community
About
The European Association Awards honour inspiring projects and their dedicated professionals behind them who usually stay out of the spotlight. Their purpose is to highlight best practices and spread knowledge exchange within the community. The ceremony will be held in Brussels during the European Association Summit on 26 March 2026.​​​
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What’s in it for the Winners?​​
- Take the stage at the Awards Ceremony and hold your trophy in front of 300 association professionals
- Get a video interview showcasing your winning project
- See your case study published in Boardroom Magazine
- Gain the opportunity to present your case study later in the year to an engaged ESAE audience
4 Categories
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
Rewards projects built around the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, either within the Association, or externally, with regard to its members, stakeholders, or the general public. The Award will also consider the concrete impact of the presented projects.
Digital Communication
Rewards the use of innovative digital tools in the optimisation of an Association's outreach or of its ability to represent the interests of its members towards institutions and the general public.
Event Innovation
Rewards innovation in the rethinking of an Association's meetings and events. It can pertain to the design and format of an event, or to the use of new technologies to make it more inclusive, efficient, sustainable, or able to reach more stakeholders.
Impact
Rewards projects focusing on the overarching vision and values of an Association rather than on its day-to-day operations. This can include a legacy project, a charity initiative, a mentoring or educational programme, or a policy impact.
Finalists
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
Devoted to paediatric and adolescent cancer
SIOP is the only global multidisciplinary society entirely devoted to paediatric and adolescent cancer.
Our members are dedicated to increasing knowledge about all aspects of childhood cancer.
SIOP’s vision is that no child should die of cancer: cure for more, care for all.
EIT Manufacturing brings together a growing network of top-tier industrial partners, leading academic and research institutions from across the region and innovative startups, scaleups and SMEs.
Ultimately, EIT Manufacturing strives to accelerate faster innovation with the potential to improve everyday life globally, help meet Europe’s ambitious climate goals, and ensure that its workforce is ready for tomorrow’s challenges.
The voice of European EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) Industry
By championing the benefits of EPS, EUMEPS plays a crucial role in supporting the industry's growth and sustainability, ensuring that EPS remains a key material in building a more resilient and eco-friendly future.
Moreover, EUMEPS has introduced two pivotal initiatives: Smart Packaging Europe and Smart Insulation Europe. Each initiative demonstrates EUMEPS’s commitment to innovation and sustainability, underscoring the critical role of EPS in achieving Europe’s environmental objectives.
Event Innovation
Empowering the global development of Living Labs
Ambassador of the values of co-creation and open innovation, to provide value to its members and external stakeholders by offering them opportunities to develop their capacities & knowledge in order to strengthen them in developing and scaling-up impactful innovative products & services and expanding their own value to their own stakeholders
Driving the field of ophthalmology forward
SIOP is the only global multidisciplinary society entirely devoted to paediatric and adolescent cancer.
Our members are dedicated to increasing knowledge about all aspects of childhood cancer.
SIOP’s vision is that no child should die of cancer: cure for more, care for all.
With the aim to speak with one voice, EBC stands as the platform to foster cooperation between its member organisations and other stakeholders, consistently promoting dialogue between scientists, industry and society. EBC emphasises the importance of continued interaction with the European Institutions to build strong European health policies, raising awareness and improving knowledge of the brain and the repercussions of neurological and mental health conditions on society as a whole.
Digital Communication
Bringing the community together to share knowledge, collaborate, connect and grow.
Accelerating progress through education, science and innovation. Together we improve patient outcomes and progress towards cures - across Europe and beyond.
Together, the future of hematology is within our reach.
Voice of the salt industry in Europe
The association of crystallised salt producers located in 20 countries from Europe and beyond. Europe is the second largest salt-producing region in the world and EUsalt, through its members, represents more than 80% of the total European salt production.
Our vision is to be the authoritative voice of the salt industry in Europe in advocacy and to educate and communicate the values and benefits of salt as an essential building block for the chemical industry and the energy sector and as a vital mineral for health, safety and nutrition.
Since 1990, Alliance Carton Nature (ACN) has brought together the main manufacturers of food cartons in France - Elopak , SIG and Tetra Pak - with missions including contributing to improving the collection and recycling of these packages, defending their specificities in the evolution of different regulations and promoting their environmental advantages to public and private actors.
Recycle your bricks, you're giving them a second life! Thanks to the daily actions of each of us, brick recycling progresses every year.
Impact
ESOT is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in organ transplantation. Facilitating a wealth of international clinical trials and research collaborations over the years, ESOT remains committed to its primary aim of improving patient outcomes in transplantation.
Bringing the community together to share knowledge, collaborate, connect and grow.
Accelerating progress through education, science and innovation. Together we improve patient outcomes and progress towards cures - across Europe and beyond.
Together, the future of hematology is within our reach.
The umbrella organisation of travel agents and tour operators across Europe with a mission to drive growth and competitiveness in the European travel industry by working with members to inform and shape the debate in the European institutions and industry bodies.
After registrations are closed, the Secretariat verify eligibility. Applications are shared with the jury for evaluation.
The application process has now closed. The evaluation is currently underway, and the shortlisted candidates will be announced on 4 March.
Application Process
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Any Association (i.e.: membership-based, not-for-profit, organisation) conducting some of its activities in Europe can apply, regardless of whether it is an ESAE member or not.
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Nominations from Association Management companies directly, public authorities or corporate entities are not eligible.
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An Association can apply for two different categories but with different projects.
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After registering to the platform, applicants can begin their submission by providing a title and short description, KPIs used, as well as quantitative data, including overall budget and measurements. Finally, they will be asked for the lessons learned and the future steps aligned with their organisation's mission and vision.
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Applications can be saved and be resumed at a later stage if not all data is in hand.
Eligibility Criteria
Jury Members
Angela Guillemet
Executive Director,
INCON
Digital Communication Award
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award
Impact Award
Event Innovation
Award
Andrew Gelston
Senior Communications Manager,
FBCA
Agne Vaitekenaite
Head of Advocacy and Partnership,
ERTICO
Philip Easthill
Secretary General,
European Boating Industry
Cécile Koch
Managing Partner and Founder,
Boardroom Magazine
Jimena Gómez de la Flor
Communications and Public Affairs Director,
EFFA
Zhanna Kovalchuk
Executive Director,
European Society of Sports Traumatology Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy
Colm Clarke
Partner,
Exempla Management & Consulting
Johanna Roodt
Head of Engagement, Communications and Events & Conference Project Manager,
EARMA
Luca Oggianu
Communications Director,
Bioenergy Europe
Lindsey Barr
Senior Director - Events & Academy Services Department,
UITP
Liesbeth Switten
Secretary General,
Association of Issuing Bodies
Olivier Nussbaum
Managing Director,
Brussels Booking Desk
Awards Supporters
The European Association Awards 2026 are supported by:
Event Innovation Award
Support an Award
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Contact us at info@esae.eu