A total of 201 sites across ten countries are now Green Flag Award winners after meeting the international quality standard for parks and green spaces.
Winners in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Finland, France, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Turkey have all reached the high standards required to receive a coveted Green Flag Award, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.
This is in addition to the 2,391 winners from the United Kingdom that received their awards in July.
Image: Hatanpää Mansion Park and Arboretum, Tampere, Finland. Winner since 2018
Sara Martínez, Director of Campus Management at the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain said: "The Green Flag Award represents recognition of the hard work of the entire team involved in managing and maintaining the landscape.
“It reinforces our commitment to campus management and encourages us to continue working to provide a high-quality natural environment for the enjoyment of both the university community and the general public."
The announcement comes as the Green Flag Award celebrates its 30th anniversary. From the early foundations in 1996 in England, the Green Flag Award has grown annually to reach more than 20 countries across four continents – making it the most widely established parks and green space accreditation in the world.
The Green Flag Award recognises a wide variety of different types of parks and green spaces, such as Kurpark – a small neighbourhood park managed by a local hotel in Austria, and Parque da Cidade – the largest urban park in Portugal.
Carl McClean, International Development Manager for the Green Flag Award, said: “It’s fantastic to see more parks and green spaces in Europe recognised with a Green Flag Award this year.
“This often undervalued sector deserves more attention for the wide-ranging benefits these spaces bring to local, regional and national communities. Well done to everyone involved.”
In Portugal, Câmara Municipal do Porto extended their awards with four Green Flag Awards three of which now also hold Green Heritage Site Accreditations – with historically important Parque da Cidade picking up both accolades together for the very first time. Elsewhere in Portugal, Câmara Municipal de Guimarães, Universidade do Porto and LIPOR – Municipalities Association for Sustainable Waste Management of Greater Porto also picked up a total of five awards between them.
Finland celebrated a record-breaking 25 winners this year, with several new sites raising the flag. The award has been managed and developed in Finland by Viherympäristöliitto – The Finnish Association of Landscape Industries (VYL) – where it has grown every year since 2018.
Taavi Forsell, CEO of VYL said: “We are thrilled that on the 10th anniversary of the first Green Flag Award in Finland we have once again broken the record of award winners year on year with 25 sites picking up awards.
“The Green Flag Award highlights the importance of well-maintained, safe, and accessible green spaces as part of a functional living environment. These same principles are at the core of our annual themed campaign for 2026 – “Living Green Environment as a Source of Well-being” – which we will be co-promoting alongside this amazing news for the parks sector in Finland.”
Meanwhile in Ireland an impressive 138 winners have met the Green Flag Award standard this year. This is an amazing 24% increase on the previous year showing that Ireland’s parks and green spaces are on the up! The numbers include 29 Green Flag Community Award winners as well as 19 Green Heritage Site Accreditations (for sites of significant local or national historic importance). The award is managed in Ireland by An Taisce Environmental Education Unit.
Emlyn Cullen, Programme Manager for An Taisce said: “We are delighted to see ten new sites achieving awards this year including St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral Grounds and Belvedere House Gardens, with several other new organisations submitting successful applications. The Green Flag Award lets visitors know that these sites are being managed to the highest standard, and importantly – serve as recognition to the dedicated staff who do a phenomenal job every day making their parks and gardens beautiful, safe spaces for the public to enjoy.”
Many of Ireland’s landmark green spaces participate in the awards. Notably, this year Phoenix Park and Grangegorman Military Cemetery will both receive their 12th consecutive Green Flag Award having been with the programme since its first year in Ireland (2015).
The Green Flag Award helps local government, parks and green space management organisations work towards many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Sustainable Communities, Good Health and Wellbeing, and Climate Action. Thousands more green spaces across Europe are eligible to apply and Green Flag Award are now actively seeking new partnerships with national, regional or state organisations who may wish to manage the programme in their country. Potential partners are encouraged to contact the Green Flag Award team if they are interested.
