The first winner of the new Award for Local Citizen Engagement – ELDA 2026 will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Cascais, Portugal, on 30 October.

The ELDA (European Local Democracy Action) Award will recognise an initiative at local level promoting citizen participation. Created by the Congress in cooperation with European Capital of Democracy (ECoD), the ELDA Award is part of the Innovation in Politics Awards (IPA), of which it constitutes a new category.

The event in Cascais will bring together the finalists from each category – selected by a jury of over 1,000 European citizens – including the ten finalists for the 2026 ELDA Award. The conference preceding the awards ceremony will offer them the opportunity to exchange views with their peers on the projects implemented in their local areas, the challenges encountered and the lessons learnt from their experiences.

As the flagship event of the European Capital of Democracy’s annual programme, the annual conference and awards gala take place in Cascais, the city designated as the European Capital of Democracy 2026.