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Agriculture and rural development

EU Organic Awards

EU Organic Awards 2026

Apply until 26 April

Categories and awards

Categories and awards

The EU organic awards comprise 7 awards across 6 different categories. They acknowledge different actors along the organic value chain that have developed an excellent, innovative, sustainable, and inspiring project producing real added value for organic production and consumption.

The inaugural EU organic awards took place in 2022. Be inspired by previous winners.

The applications for the fifth edition will open on 10 February 2026.

  • a lady holding a dog, and a man holding a box of tomatoes
    Category 1: Best organic farmer (female) and Best organic farmer (male)

    The objective of this award is to reward a farmer (one female and one male). This award is organised by COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe.

    Specific attention will be paid to young farmers’ projects in order to increase their visibility, by showcasing their projects and highlighting their relevance (young farmers are defined as farmers that are maximum 40 years old (at the time of the deadline for the submission of applications).

    Apply now!

  • green undulating fields in a rural landscape
    Category 2: Best organic region/bio-district

    The objective of this award is to reward a region or bio-district. This award is organised by the European Committee of the Regions.

    Apply now!

  • several red roofed buildings alongside a river
    Category 3: Best organic city

    The objective of this award is to reward a city. This award is organised by European Committee of the Regions.

    Apply now!

  • rounds of cheese stacked on shelves
    Category 4: Best organic food processing SME

    The objective of this award is to reward a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) processing organic products. This award is organised by the European Economic and Social Committee.

    Apply now!

  • a lady standing in front of a set of shelves with trays of fruit and vegetables
    Category 5: Best organic food retailer

    The objective of this award is to reward an SME food retailer selling organic products. This award is organised by the European Economic and Social Committee.

    Apply now!

     

  • a male chef making the finishing touches to a plate of food
    Category 6: Best organic restaurant/food service

    The objective of this award is to reward an SME restaurant/food service restaurant (standalone or part of a hotel) and/or food service (caterer or canteen) proposing organic certified references in their menu. This award is organised by the European Economic and Social Committee.

    Apply now!

These awards are non-financial and will be handed over on 23 September 2026, which is EU Organic Day.

Applications

Reasons to apply

Do you want to contribute to the greater public awareness of organic production in the EU? Do you want to contribute to the greater affordability and/or accessibility of organic products in the EU? Have you developed and implemented, or are you still implementing, an excellent, innovative, sustainable, and replicable project for this purpose? Would you like to increase public awareness of the project?

If the answer to any of the above questions is 'yes', you should consider entering for the next edition of the EU organic awards. If you win, you will receive a non-financial recognition award and greater public visibility for your project. So, whether you are:

  • an organic farmer
  • a city or region serving organic meals to patients or pupils or otherwise promoting organic production
  • a business in the organic food chain with a unique approach

- you should think about entering the EU organic awards.

Application process

Applicants for the 2026 EU organic awards are asked to:

  • read the different sections of this website, in particular the eligibility criteria and the award criteria;
  • choose the award category they wished to enter;
  • apply online from 10 February until 26 April 2026 23:59:59 (CEST) UTC+2;
  • provide answers to closed guiding questions (some relating to the four principles of organic and the sustainability pillars), to help the jury to obtain more information about the applicants.

Timeline

  1. 10 February 2026

    Launch of the application period for the awards

  2. 26 April 2026

    Deadline for the submission of applications: 26 April 2026, 23:59:59 CEST (UTC+2).

  3. June 2026

    Awards evaluation decision

  4. 23 September 2026

    Awards ceremony

Be inspired by the winners

Meet the winners of the 2025 edition. Watch the full recording of the fourth EU organic awards ceremony that took place in Brussels.

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Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen opening the EU Organic Awards 2025

About the EU organic awards

The Vision for Agriculture and Food underlines that sustainability and farming can go hand in hand, and organic farming serves as a prime example of this. Its environmental credentials are clear: Organic farming encourages the responsible use of energy and natural resources, the preservation of regional ecological balances, the enhancement of soil fertility, the maintenance of water quality, rich biodiversity and high standards of animal welfare.

The economic and business case of organic farming is equally important. The share of land farmed organically in the EU has been growing steadily to attain currently around 17 million hectares (11% of the total agriculture land).

Organic farming has also become a driver for generational renewal as underscored in the Commission’s Strategy for generational renewal in agriculture  and the organic share among young farmers is far higher (20.7%) than for all farms combined (11.9%).  EU initiatives in favour of organic farming not only create the conditions for the long-term and sustainable competitiveness of rural areas but also open up new opportunities for the generation renewal in agriculture.

To support further growth of organic production in the EU, the Commission has adopted the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production in March 2021, including the launch of annual awards. They aim to reward the best and most innovative organic actors, contributing to the reduction of agriculture’s impact on the environment and climate.

Organisers

The EU organic awards are jointly organised by the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Committee of the Region, COPA-COGECA  and IFOAM Organics Europe.

The jury deciding on the final winners comprised representatives of:

  • The European Commission,
  • The European Economic and Social Committee,
  • The European Committee of the Regions,
  • COPA-COGECA,
  • IFOAM Organics Europe,
  • The European Parliament and
  • The Council of the European Union.

Organic farming, aquaculture and food in the EU

Regulation (EU) 2018/848 states in recital 1 that “Organic production is an overall system of farm management and food production that combines best environmental and climate action practices, a high level of biodiversity, the preservation of natural resources and the application of high animal welfare standards and high production standards in line with the demand of a growing number of consumers for products produced using natural substances and processes”.

Organic production is increasing in the EU. In 2022, 10.5% of EU agricultural land was under organic farming. This equalled 16.9 million hectares, up from 9.5 million hectares in 2012, a 79% increase. The countries accounting for most of the EU agricultural land under organic farming were France (2.9 billion hectares, 17% of the EU total), Spain (2.7 billion hectares, 15.8% of the EU total), Italy (2.3 billion hectares, 13.9% of the total) and Germany (1.6 billion hectares, 9.7% of the EU total) as per Eurostat organic farming statistics.

Across the entire value chain, almost 435,000 organic producers and over 89,000 organic processors were active in the EU. Organic farmers benefit from the price premiums that organic products fetch on the market and the rapidly growing final consumer demand for organic products. In 2023, the EU market accounted for 46.5 billion euro in a global market of 136.4 billion euro, second after the US market accounting for 59 billion. Large markets in the EU are Germany (16.1 billion) euro and France (12.1 billion euro), as per FIBL statistics.

Per capita consumer expenditure on organic products is highest in Denmark (362 EUR, equivalent to 11.8% of grocery shopping) and Luxembourg (228 EUR, equivalent to 7.2% of grocery shopping), as per FIBL statistics.

Consumer awareness of the EU organic logo is increasing. In 2024, 56% of Eurobarometer survey respondents recognised the logo, compared to 27% in 2017. 79% of survey respondents believe that organic products are more environmentally friendly and respect higher animal welfare standards.

Food for Europe podcast episodes

A selection of the Food for Europe podcast episodes are dedicated to organic farming in the EU. All the episodes of the "Food for Europe" podcast are released in English, French and German.

Documents

  • 10 FEBRUARY 2026
Leaflet: EU Organic Awards 2026
English
(2.22 MB - PDF)
Download
  • 10 FEBRUARY 2026
EU Organic Awards – practical guide
English
(179.34 KB - PDF)
Download
  • 10 FEBRUARY 2026
EU Organic Awards – general introduction
English
(164.08 KB - PDF)
Download
  • 10 FEBRUARY 2026
EU Organic Awards – privacy statement
English
(227.67 KB - PDF)
Download

Related links

Organics at a glance

At a glance information on EU organic policy, the organic logo and legislation relating to the organic sector, as well as frequently asked questions.

Organic action plan

This plan aims to drive investment and innovation in organic farming and boost demand for organic food. Check out what has been achieved so far.

The future of organics

Information on the new organic legislation in force since January 2022, the consultation that was held about the new law and the action plan for organics.

Organic farming

Policy, rules, organic certifications, support and criteria for organic farming.

Events

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News

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