At the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania the “European sails 2026” awards: wave of change reached different corners of Lithuania
“A sail itself does not move. It needs the wind. It needs direction. It needs a man who’s willing to hoist it. And when there are many such sails, we already see more than one separate voyage on the horizon. We see Lithuania moving forward,” so host speaker Marijus Žiedas started the 18th “European Sails” ceremony in the Colonial Hall of the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania.
Today, for the 18th time, the best investment projects of the European Union have been honoured. This year, more than a hundred projects competed for seven nominations, and their stories became a story about changes taking place across Lithuania.
“This evening is one of the most meaningful moments of the year for all our ministry team. Today we see not numbers or reports, but live, tangible and inspiring results of what we create together. Even 107 selected projects claim today for the “European sails” awards, and it is very important that every idea you have, even if it has not won the competition, is an impetus for Lithuania's progress," the Minister of Finance Taurimas Valys emphasized during the event.
From single sail to a common direction
This year’s “European sails” award ceremony brought a ‘wave of change’ to the Presidential Palace. At the beginning of the event, it was embodied on the stage by AURA dance theatre, and a moment later, the awards joined this wave. One by one, stories of the changes that have already taken place in different corners of Lithuania changing people's daily lives were presented. Some of them were born in communities, others in schools, hospitals or businesses.
The projects honoured in the seven nominations reflected different ways of creating change – from public infrastructure and investing in people to innovation, modern school, sustainable environment and medicine:
- The winner of the nomination “Investment in innovative solutions” was UAB Nano sensorics’ project “Development of a gas monitoring sensor for electronic cigarettes”;
- The winner of the nomination "Investing in People" was the project “Development of community-based accommodation and employment services with intellectual and mental disabilities in Telšiai District";
- The winner of the nomination “Investment in innovation in business” was the project “Development of advanced technology IN-MOD by UAB Euro Meta in order to develop research for the production of sustainable products”;
- The winner of the nomination "Investing in a modern school" was the project “Improving access to education for marginalised children in Jonava District”;
- The winner of the nomination "Investing in a sustainable environment" was Stasys Eidrigevičius Arts Centre in Panevėžys;
- The winner of the nomination "Investing inmodern medicine” was the Nuclear Research Centre;
- The winner of the nomination "Investing ina sense of community” was Klaipėda District Municipality with the project ”Development of public infrastructure to reduce the lack of pre-school education and public services in Sendvaris municipality”;
The winners were selected by the competent commission composed of professionals from different fields, also the readers of Lrytas.lt selected their favourite. The project “Improving the quality of emergency medical care and intensive care services” of the Regional Telšiai Hospital received most of their sympathies.
The evening culminated in the performance of Monikaze, and all the winners of the “European Sails 2026” on the stage concluded the event with a family photo. For a moment, their works, projects and cities merged in one frame.
“We heard very different stories tonight, but they all have one thing in common – a change that we can see, feel and experience in our daily lives," said host speaker M. Žiedas at the end of the event.
Last updated: 29-09-2026
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