The 30 winners of the 2026 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards, the highest heritage accolade in Europe, were celebrated on Thursday during an event held at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre, with Cypriot Dr. Nicoletta Demetriou being one of the honoured creators receiving an award for her work “The Cypriot Fiddler”.
The awards ceremony was part of the European Heritage Summit 2026, under the theme “Cultural Heritage as the Soul of Mare Nostrum.” It was organised by Europa Nostra – the leading European heritage civil society network – and co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
On behalf of the European Commission, Costas Kadis, Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, took part in the European Heritage Awards Ceremony, and Glenn Micallef, Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, conveyed a congratulatory video message to the winners. The ceremony was attended by President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, the Deputy Minister of Culture of Cyprus, Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou, Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra, and others.
The European Commission and Europa Nostra presented five laureates with the Grand Prix and one winner with the Public Choice Award for 2026 – all of which received a monetary award of €10,000. The Grand Prix winners were selected from among this year’s winners by the Board of Europa Nostra, based on the recommendation of an independent jury of experts.
Dr. Nicoletta Demetriou, Ethnomusicologist and researcher, specialising in Cypriot traditional music and oral poetry, was honoured for her work “The Cypriot Fiddler,” which was distinguished in the Research category. Dr. Demetriou was one of the five winners of the 2026 Grand Prix Award.
At the event, Androulla Vassiliou, President of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub Nicosia and Vice-President of Europa Nostra, and the A.G. Leventis Foundation were awarded the Europa Nostra Medals of Honour, the highest distinction granted to individuals and organizations for their significant contribution to the promotion of cultural heritage.
In his address, Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra said the exemplary Award winners celebrated “are a prime example of the same immense commitment” and that their “passion and excellence show us what is possible”, bringing beauty, meaning and a sense of pride to their communities and the world.
Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger praised the winners as embodiments of heritage’s power to foster inclusive, sustainable and resilient communities across Europe.
