European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award 2025 for the exhibition Hedgehog’s Home – Inventing a Better World, Serbia
Today, the European Commission and Europa Nostra have announced the 2025 winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards, which are co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. This year, Europe’s most prestigious awards for heritage go to 30 outstanding winners from 24 countries across the continent (see the full list below).
Among this year’s winners is The Hedgehog’s Home – Inventing a Better World project reimagined a beloved children’s poem through co-creation with young children and students, promoting intergenerational dialogue and inclusivity. It sparked reflection on home, community and shared memory across Serbia and beyond.
Heritage supporters and enthusiasts are now encouraged to discover the winners and vote online to decide who will win the Public Choice Award 2025, which is entitled to receive a monetary award of €10,000. Votes can be cast until 12 September.
The winners were selected by the Awards’ Jury, composed of 11 heritage experts from across Europe, upon evaluation of the applications by the Selection Committees. A total of 251 eligible applications to this year’s Awards were submitted by organisations and individuals from 41 European countries.
Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, said: “The European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards give us the opportunity to appreciate how cultural heritage is deeply valued in Europe. This year’s winners showcase the ongoing efforts to safeguard and promote our rich cultural heritage for generations to come. Congratulations to the winners for their outstanding achievements and for their valuable contribution.”
Cecilia Bartoli, the world-renowned mezzo-soprano and President of Europa Nostra, stated: “I warmly congratulate this year’s winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards on their well-deserved recognition. These inspiring initiatives demonstrate how cultural heritage can be a powerful force for positive change in Europe – strengthening communities, supporting well-being, fuelling creativity, and contributing to economic resilience. Cultural heritage connects people across generations and borders. It brings Europe’s citizens closer together, united in our rich diversity. It brings beauty and meaning to our daily lives, and shows how it can help shape a more sustainable and inclusive future.”
The winners will be celebrated at the European Heritage Awards Ceremony 2025 on 13 October at Flagey, an iconic Art Deco building, in Brussels, Belgium. This high-profile event will feature the participation of European Commissioner Glenn Micallef and Europa Nostra’s Executive President Hermann Parzinger. During the ceremony, the Grand Prix laureates and the Public Choice Award winner will be announced, chosen from among this year’s winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards and entitled to receive €10,000 each. The ceremony will be a highlight of the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2025, which will take place from 12 to 14 October in Brussels. In a complex geopolitical context, the Summit will also provide a timely opportunity to give visibility and resonance to the upcoming Cultural Compass of the European Union, and to advocate for the political, societal, environmental and economic value of cultural heritage for the future of Europe. The Summit is organised by Europa Nostra and co-funded by the European Union.
Hedgehog’s Home – Inventing a Better World, Serbia
Branko Ćopić’s poem Hedgehog’s Home held a special place in the childhood memories of generations born in the former Yugoslavia. Seventy years after its publication, this literary work continued to evoke a shared sense of identity and nostalgia. Based on its iconic status and the complex history of its reception, the Museum of Yugoslavia in Belgrade developed a project and exhibition aimed at opening a dialogue around common heritage and its potential to help us rethink identity, home, memory, belonging, xenophobia, mental health, and our relationship with the recent past.
The exhibition consisted of two parts. The first, a fictional and imaginative space, was realised in collaboration with children aged five to ten from Belgrade, Zagreb and Sarajevo, and scenography students from the University of Belgrade. By cross-referencing the results of the children’s workshops and research outcomes, the concept was developed by an interdisciplinary creative team – including artists, educators, psychologists and other professionals – using a co-design methodology. The result was an interactive exhibition that offered a kinesthetic experience, stimulated imagination and memory, and allowed each visitor to create their own intimate interpretation. Through the story of the hedgehog who insists on the value of his modest forest home, the exhibition reminded visitors of the importance of protecting what is theirs – not only physically, but emotionally and symbolically.
The second part of the exhibition took a documentary approach, focusing on the life and work of Branko Ćopić (1915-1984) and the changing public perception of his legacy. The exhibition explored how literature, memory and biography are intertwined with broader social narratives.
Over the course of the project, more than 100 creative workshops were organised in cities across Serbia. Children of various ages participated in these activities, guided by museum staff, artists and psychotherapists. Mental health was a key theme throughout, addressed through emotional literacy and the sharing of personal stories related to home and identity.
A theatrical video performance was developed in partnership with members of the local deaf community, offering, for the first time, the Hedgehog’s Home translated into Serbian Sign Language, which was later incorporated into the school curriculum for deaf pupils in Serbia.
The exhibition was extended twice due to strong public interest and attracted more than 150,000 visitors. A wide programme of public events accompanied the exhibition, including school visits, readings, guided tours, discussions, printed materials and social media campaigns.
The project demonstrated how shared cultural references can foster dialogue and reflection across generations and borders, highlighting its significance within the broader European context.
“An emotionally powerful and inclusive museum project that focuses on storytelling, intangible heritage, and the safeguarding of shared cultural narratives. Intergenerational dialogue is at the core of the Hedgehog’s Home – Inventing a Better World project, engaging children and other visitors through a hands-on experience,” the Awards’ Jury observed.
“A subversive initiative that awakens shared regional memory while promoting European values,” the Jury added.
Winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2025[1]
Category Conservation & Adaptive Reuse
Tower Roof of the Church of St. Mauritius, Spitz an der Donau, AUSTRIA
Hôtel Solvay, Brussels, BELGIUM
Nicosia Old Municipal Market, CYPRUS
Kambones 1615 Historic House, Naxos, GREECE
EC1 Łódź – City of Culture Complex, POLAND
Peniche Fortress – National Museum of Resistance and Freedom, PORTUGAL
Puerta de Alcalá, Madrid, SPAIN
Category Research
The Heritage Trees Project, BELGIUM
Odeuropa, NETHERLANDS / FRANCE / GERMANY / ITALY / SLOVENIA / UNITED KINGDOM
Glacier Archaeology Programme – Secrets of the Ice, NORWAY
IS-LE: Islamic Legacy, pan-European project coordinated in SPAIN
Category Education, Training & Skills
European Heritage Volunteers’ Programme, GERMANY
“Saber Fazer” Programme, PORTUGAL
ASTRA Center for Activities and Regional Resources, Sibiu, ROMANIA
Pro Monumenta – Preventive Maintenance of Monuments, SLOVAKIA
Category Citizens’ Engagement & Awareness-raising
The Art of Protecting Bedechka, Stara Zagora, BULGARIA
Baltic Sea 3D Wrecksite Ontology, FINLAND
Notre-Dame de Paris Restoration Outreach, FRANCE
Donation Campaign “The Culture of Ukraine has no Means of Defence”, LITHUANIA / UKRAINE
Małopolska Culture Heritage Days, POLAND
Almalaguês – Weaving the Future from the Tapestry of Time, Coimbra, PORTUGAL
Hedgehog’s Home – Inventing a Better World, SERBIA
Casa Batlló: Integrating Neurodiversity in World Heritage, Barcelona, SPAIN
All Together Festival, Kyiv, UKRAINE
Category Heritage Champions
Inge Bisgaard, GREENLAND / DENMARK
Winners of the Europa Nostra Awards 2025
Three of this year’s winners come from countries that are not associated with the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. These winners receive the Europa Nostra Awards, which reflect the organisation’s commitment to recognising heritage excellence in all countries of the Council of Europe.
The Camellia House, Wentworth Woodhouse, UNITED KINGDOM (Category Conservation & Adaptive Reuse)
School of Arts and Crafts of the Fabric of Saint Peter in the Vatican, HOLY SEE (Category Education, Training & Skills)
Varvara Buzilă, MOLDOVA (Category Heritage Champions)
Showcasing heritage-related excellence in Europe since 2002
The European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards were launched by the European Commission in 2002 and have been run by Europa Nostra ever since. For 23 years, the Awards have been a key tool to recognise and promote the multiple values of heritage for Europe’s culture, society, economy, and environment.
The Awards have highlighted and disseminated heritage excellence and best practices in Europe, encouraged the cross-border exchange of knowledge and connected heritage stakeholders in wider networks. The Awards have brought major benefits to the winners, such as greater (inter)national exposure, additional funding and increased visitor numbers. In addition, the Awards have championed a greater care for our shared heritage among Europe’s citizens. For additional facts and figures about the Awards, please visit the Awards website.
[1] The winners are listed alphabetically by country
The Origins: The Background for Understanding the Museum of Yugoslavia
Creation of a European type of museum was affected by a number of practices and concepts of collecting, storing and usage of items.
New Mappings of Europe
Museum Laboratory
Starting from the Museum collection as the main source for researching social phenomena and historical moments important for understanding the experience of life in Yugoslavia, the exhibition examines the Yugoslav heritage and the institution of the Museum
