About the Award
The Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award honours the people who, with civic courage and unwavering commitment, choose every day to work for more open, inclusive and democratic communities, despite challenging circumstances such as violence, hate speech, prejudice, and xenophobia.
The Award was created in memory of Paweł Adamowicz, the long-serving mayor of the city of Gdańsk, assassinated on 13 January 2019 while carrying out his public duties, killed for who he was and what he stood for.
For twenty years, Adamowicz had built Gdańsk into a model of openness and inclusiveness. He engaged with those who too often go unheard, offered solidarity to those in need, and advocated for the diversity which makes our societies more open and richer.
His death sent a shockwave through Europe. But it also left behind a legacy too important to let fade.
The Award bearing his name is a partnership between the European Committee of the Regions, the City of Gdańsk and the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN). It represents a strong signal of hope and solidarity for all locally elected representatives, officials and ordinary citizens who, despite the risks, carry on the work of making democracy work at a local level.
Thanks to the laurates of the Award, the memory of Paweł Adamowicz continues as a community of values.
"That is why the Mayor Pawel Adamowicz Award is not just a gesture – it must be our commitment. A commitment that Europe stands with those who pay the price for the values that we must all learn to defend again – with courage and at all costs. […] We must not let courageous individuals defend the very values that none of us would want to live without on their own. Because if you want to be respected – defend democracy. If you want to enjoy equal rights – defend democracy. If you want to live in security – defend democracy. Democracy will not defend itself." - Magdalena Adamowicz, March 2026
How to nominate?
Nominations for the 2027 Mayor Paveł Adamowicz Award are now open.
Who can nominate?
- 10 CoR members, alternate members or Members of the European Parliament together
- Presidents of local or regional councils or Mayors
- Representatives of international organisations
- Representatives of national associations of local and regional authorities
- Members of ICORN or its representative bodies
Self-nominations are not eligible. Should you wish to submit a nomination, please check the nomination criteria.
Nominations can be submitted through the dedicated form until 31 October 2026.
The shortlisted nominees will be published in December 2026, and the new laureate will be proclaimed in Gdańsk on 13 January 2027. The award ceremony will take place in Brussels in early 2027, during the Plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions.
Laureates of the Mayor Paveł Adamowicz Award
- Henriette Reker, Mayor of Cologne, Germany (2022)
- Marek Nazarko, Mayor of Michałowo, and the citizens of Michałowo, Poland (2023)
- Local Democracy Agency Zavidovići (2024)
- Vitaliy Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine (2025)
- Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul, Türkiye (2026)
Special recognition of the Mayor Paveł Adamowicz Award
- Oleksandr Babich, Mayor of Hola Prystan, Ukraine (2023)
- Alla Myronova, Mayor of Inhulka, Ukraine (2024)
- Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan, Parents' Circle Family Forum, Palestine and Israel (2025)
- Mary Crilly, Director of the Sexual Violence Center in Cork, Ireland (2026)
