The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) Secretariat has received eleven submissions for the 18th edition of the ESPO Award.
This year’s theme, “Dual-Use Port-City Projects” highlights projects that develop port infrastructure and space in a way that it continues to serve its core port functions, while also allowing parts of it to be used by the city, either at the same time or in different ways, bringing port and city activities closer together.
The following eleven applications will be running for the ESPO Award 2026 (listed in alphabetical order by country):
- Niedersachsen Ports & City of Cuxhaven (Germany)
- Piraeus Port Authority S.A. (Greece)
- Port of Reykjavik (Iceland)
- Dublin Port Company (Ireland)
- Port of Cork (Ireland)
- North Adriatic Sea Port Authority (Italy)
- Klaipeda Port (Lithuania)
- Port of Gdansk (Poland)
- Port of Gdynia (Poland)
- Port of Tarragona (Spain)
- Belfast Harbour (United Kingdom - Northern Ireland)
The ESPO Award-winning port is selected by an independent jury of international experts, under the chairmanship of Eamonn O'Reilly, former chair of ESPO.
"The ESPO Award was established in 2009 to promote the societal integration of ports and cities. This year’s theme provides an opportunity for ports to demonstrate the strength of their commitment to port-city integration in the most practical terms. If ports are serious about port-city integration, you would expect to see port lands and infrastructure being developed, not only in the interests of cargo but also for the direct benefit of local port communities. The number and quality of this year’s entries demonstrate great commitment to this objective and show how the need for ports to work actively on behalf of their most proximate stakeholders is to the fore in port development plans and strategies across Europe”. said E. O. ‘Reilly.
He added, “Providing for the needs of local neighbours requires innovation and belief to ensure that, while fulfilling their core functions, ports reverse the trend of past decades whereby many ports forgot their heritage and alienated the communities that founded them and whose interests they serve”,
The winner will be announced at the ESPO Award Ceremony and Dinner taking place on November 10 at the Vanhaerents Art Collection in Brussels. The ESPO Award painting 2026 will be part of a series created exclusively for ESPO by Dutch painter Sasja Hagens.
To promote the efforts made by different European Ports in improving city-port relations through innovative projects, ESPO established the ESPO Award on Societal Integration of Ports in 2009.
