Call for candidacies for the 10th European Greenways Award 2021

(Deadline for applications: Thursday 27th May 2021)

The European Greenways Association (EGWA) announces the call for candidacies for the 10^th European Greenways Award (EGA) 2021 organised by EGWA in co-operation with the Generalitat Valenciana (Valencia Region), through the Regional Ministry of Territorial Policy, Public Works and Mobility and the Spanish Railways Foundation (FFE).

 

The awards ceremony will take place on September 30th in Valencia.

 

 

The objective is to promote examples of best practices and to support their replication on other greenways all over Europe. The European Greenways Award will only be granted to greenways under the Lille Declaration, as well as to initiatives already in existence.

This biennial award will recognise examples of greenways best practices in three categories:

A) Excellence awards

In this category the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd prizes will be awarded to three exemplary greenways that show the best integration of the various characteristics which define greenways (Art. 1 of Regulations) and that also demonstrate specific strengths which, in the opinion of the jury, make them exemplary. (…

B) Exemplary initiatives

 A 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd prize will be awarded to exemplary initiatives carried out in relation to greenways. This category is open to any activity related to greenways in its broadest sense: (…

C) Special award, Special European Greenways Award EYR 2021

A single award will be granted to recompense initiatives that value the railway heritage and/or initiatives or tourism products that promote the use of trains, including the transport of bikes, to access to the greenways, and aimed at either one or more of these trails. (…)

This special award is part of the activities included in the EUROPEAN YEAR OF RAIL 2021 (EYR), Stakeholders Initiatives.

 

=> Deadline for the submission of candidacies: Thursday, May 27th 2021 at the latest.

 

Regulations

Application forms:

>> Excellence awards

>> Exemplary initiatives

>> Special Award EYR 2021

=> The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, September 30^th 2021 in Valencia (Spain).

 => Updated info : europeangreenwaysaward.org

 

The organisation of this 10th edition of the European Greenways Awards 2021 is the main objective of the collaboration agreement between the Generalitat Valenciana, the European Greenways Association and the Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles. The signing ceremony took place on March 23^th in Valencia, by the Regional Minister of Territorial Policy, Public Works and Mobility, Arcadi España, the Director of the European Greenways Association, Mercedes Muñoz, and the Managing Director of the Spanish Railways Foundation, Jose Carlos Domínguez Curiel, in the presence of Giulio Senes, President of the EGWA in line from Milan and Roser Obrer, Director General of Public Works, Transport and Sustainable Mobility.

The European Greenways Association has been organising the prestigious European Greenways Award (EGA) every two years since 2003 to highlight the best practices, initiatives and achievements in Europe in relation to Greenways. The Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles holds the General Secretariat of the association and the Generalitat Valenciana is a founding member of the EGWA.

 

In addition to the 10th European Greenways Award, the agreement includes the organization of an International Conference on Tourism, Cycling and Greenways and a technical visit to one of the Valencia Region greenways.

Greenways are known by different names depending on the country: Voies Vertes, Vias Vertes, RAVEL, Ecopistas, Radwege auf alten Bahntrassen, Railtrails. The last edition of these awards took place in Latvia and the previous ones were held in different parts of Europe.

 

The Generalitat, through the Conselleria de Política Territorial, Obres Públiques i Mobilitat, maintains an outstanding commitment to the development of the greenways. To this end, it is developing various greenways that form part of a network of non-motorised routes, which includes the EuroVelo route and the Via Litoral, within the framework of the. Mobility Strategy of the Valencia Region  sounds better

Indeed, following the signature of the Agreement, the regional Minister Arcadi España announced that the Territorial Policy Department in the  Valencia Region will invest more than 75 million € for actions on 224 kilometres of greenways and cycle pedestrian pathways.

=> 33.2M€ Works completed or underway on 79km

=> 41.8M€ Programmed actions on 145 km in the Valencia Region

For the EGWA it is a great pleasure to organize the awards in Valencia, in collaboration with the Generalitat Valenciana for its decided commitment to develop greenways as non-motorised, safe and accessible infrastructures, to promote active mobility for everyday life, leisure and sustainable tourism. Also for the collaboration of the FFE, as the reference organisation of the Spanish Greenways, with extensive experience in the organisation of events and promotion of the greenways.

⇒ We encourage to participate!

⇒ We kindly ask you to help us to spread the call for applications and to encourage participation in your fellow organizations and greenways network!

#GreenwaysEurope #GreenwaysAward2021 #EGA2021