Deadline: 11 September 2019
The European Commission has announced the Access City Award (ACA) 2020.
The Access City Award recognises and celebrates a city’s willingness, ability and efforts to become more accessible, in order to
- Guarantee equal access to fundamental rights
- Improve the quality of life of its population and ensure that everybody – regardless of age, mobility or ability has equal access to all the resources and pleasures cities have to offer.
By 2020, the EU is expected to have 120 million people with disabilities, and the population is becoming older. Additionally, Europe is now essentially an urban society, with four out of five EU citizens living in towns and cities.
The European Union promotes equality of opportunity and accessibility for people with disabilities. A fundamental part of its strategy involves working towards a barrier-free Europe.
The Access City Award is an award recognising cities that have worked to become more accessible for their citizens. It is an EU initiative that
- Recognises efforts by cities to become more accessible.
- Promotes equal access to urban life for people with disabilities.
- Allows local authorities to promote and share their best practices.
Prizes
To celebrate this great milestone, the European Commission will award a monetary prize to each of the first winners and the two runners-up as follows:
- 1st prize: €150 000
- 2nd prize: €120 000
- 3rd prize: €80 000
Eligibility Criteria
The Access City Award is open to
- All EU cities of over 50 000 inhabitants
- urban areas composed of two or more towns with a combined population of over 50 000 inhabitants, if they are in EU countries with fewer than 2 cities with over 50 000 inhabitants
- The ACA cannot be won by the same city in two consecutive years.
How to Apply
Applicants can apply online via given website.
For more information, please visit https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1141#navItem-1