Submit Applications for EU Organic Awards

Increases in organic production contribute significantly to reducing the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and antimicrobials and have positive effects on the climate, the environment, biodiversity and animal welfare. That is why organic production has been identified as playing a key role in achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork strategy and the Biodiversity strategy. For this reason, the Commission has defined a target of 25% of EU agricultural land under organic farming by 2030 and a significant increase in organic aquaculture.

In support of that target, the Commission has adopted the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production in March 2021. This Action Plan takes the approach that, to stimulate organic production, consumer demand for organic products should grow. This requires, amongst other things, increased public awareness of the characteristics and benefits of organic production. For this purpose, the Action Plan includes the organisation of annual awards recognising excellence in the organic value chain. These awards will be awarded for the third time in 2024.

The EU organic awards comprise 8 awards across 7 different categories. They acknowledge different actors along the organic value chain that have developed an excellent, innovative, sustainable, and inspiring project producing real added value for organic production and consumption.

Categories

• Category 1 Best organic farmer
  • The objective of the award is to reward a farmer (one female and one male) who developed an excellent, innovative, sustainable and inspiring project producing real added value for organic production and consumption.
• Category 2 Best organic region
  • The objective of the award is to reward a region that developed an excellent, innovative, sustainable and inspiring project producing real added value for organic production and consumption.
• Category 3 Best organic city
  • The objective of the award is to reward a city that developed an excellent, innovative, sustainable and inspiring project producing real added value for organic production and consumption.
• Category 4 Bio district
  • The objective of the award is to reward a bio district that developed an excellent, innovative, sustainable and inspiring project producing real added value for organic production and consumption.
• Category 5 Best organic food processing SME
  • The objective of the award is to reward a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) processing organic products that developed an excellent, innovative, sustainable and inspiring project producing real added value for organic production and consumption.
• Category 6 Best organic food retailer
  • The objective of the award is to reward an SME food retailer selling organic products that developed an excellent, innovative, sustainable and inspiring project producing real added value for organic production and consumption.
• Category 7 Best organic restaurant/food service
  • The objective of the award is to reward an SME restaurant (standalone or part of a hotel) and/or food service (caterer or canteen) proposing organic certified references in their menu that developed an excellent, innovative, sustainable and inspiring project producing real added value for organic production and consumption.

Benefits

• Non-financial recognition award.
• Greater public visibility for your project.

Who can Apply?

• Any actor or institution along the organic value chain with a noteworthy project contributing to the greater affordability and/or accessibility of organic products in the EU can apply.
• Project promoters must be established or residents in the EU. Applications must be submitted in one of the official EU languages and the projects EU based.

Eligibility Criteria

• The starting point to apply for one of the awards is the EU organic awards webpage, which will link to the online application forms for each of the awards during the required period.
• Only complete applications (all sections filled in) submitted via the online platform by the deadline will be considered.
• Applications must be in one of the official EU languages.
• Applicants must be legal or natural persons established or resident in one of the 27 Member States of the EU.
• The project submitted must be EU based and refer clearly to one of the 7 award categories/8 awards. The same project cannot be submitted for several award categories/awards. Each applicant can only apply for one single award. The maximum number of applications per award is one.
• The winners of the previous editions cannot re-apply for the 2024 edition. The non-winning finalists of the previous editions can re-apply for the 2024 edition.
• The project was required to either have been fully implemented already or be in a sufficiently mature state so as to enable the jury to assess it (i.e. physical implementation was to be advanced enough to demonstrate the achievement of the objectives).
• Specific eligibility criteria for each award category:
  • Best organic farmer (female) and Best organic farmer (male): Certified accordingly to the Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007;
  • Best organic region: No specific eligibility criteria;
  • Best organic city: No specific eligibility criteria; in case the city operates one or more organic farms or stores, proof of their organic certification must be provided. This proof must be a valid certificate at the moment of submission;
  • Best organic “bio-district”: A “bio-district” is defined as a geographical area where farmers, the public, tourist operators, associations and public authorities enter into an agreement for the sustainable management of local resources, based on organic principles and practices;
  • Best organic food processing SME: Enterprise certified according to Regulation (EU) 2018/848, and having 100% organic production and complying with the SME definition (an enterprise employing fewer than 250 persons, with an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million, and /or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million). Cooperatives can be understood as enterprises;
  • Best organic food retailers: Enterprise certified according to Regulation (EU) 2018/848 and having 100% organic certified references on sale (excluding non-food products or food products for which there is no organic availability) and complying with the SME definition (an enterprise employing fewer than 250 persons, with an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million). Cooperatives can be understood as enterprises;
  • Best organic restaurant/food service: Enterprise having 100% organic certified references in their menu, where possible and complying with the SME definition (an enterprise that employs fewer than 250 persons, with has an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million). Cooperatives can be understood as enterprises.

For more information, visit European Commision.