Meet the winners of the European Digital Skills Awards 2026!

The 2026 European Digital Skills Awards (EDSA) awards ceremony took place on 30 June 2026 in Brussels. 

Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, presented the awards to these inspiring initiatives helping Europeans gain the fundamental and advanced digital skills they need.

This year’s winners reflect the incredible diversity of digital skills efforts across Europe, from public-private partnerships and consortia of leading EU technical universities to local schools, citizen groups, and grassroots community projects. Their achievements demonstrate how vibrant and innovative Europe’s digital skills landscape has become. 

“These awards celebrate more than excellence in digital skills — they celebrate Europe’s capacity to innovate, lead and shape its own technological future. The awarded initiatives are helping people across Europe gain the skills needed to drive progress in critical technologies, strengthen our competitiveness, and reinforce our digital sovereignty. By investing in talent, digital ambition and innovation, we are building a more resilient, future-ready Europe that can thrive and lead in the digital age.”

- Henna Virkkunen, EVP, Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy

"Behind every digital skill is a person gaining confidence, new opportunities and a stronger place in society. The European Digital Skills Awards 2026 honour projects that open doors for people of all ages and backgrounds, helping them learn, adapt and thrive. This is what a fair and inclusive digital transition looks like: everyone empowered to shape their own as well as our common European future."

- Roxana Mînzatu, EVP, Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness 

And the awards go to...

Digital Upskilling: Consortium FAIRmat

Consortium FAIRmat enables digital upskilling through the open-source NOMAD ecosystem, where researchers develop practical skills in data modelling and AI-ready workflows. Combined with scalable training and integration into education, it builds a data- and AI-skilled workforce across Europe.

FAIRmat is a German research initiative that supports the digital transformation of science through better research data management and AI-ready infrastructures. Beyond technical infrastructure, FAIRmat focuses on digital upskilling. The project provides researchers, students, data stewards, and research software engineers with practical training on data management, interoperability, metadata standards, and AI-assisted workflows to help embed digital and data-centric skills directly into everyday research practices.

Digital Skills for Education: Generation AI

Generation AI is a Finnish provider of free and open educational resources for novice learners - but especially children and young people - to learn about AI. It helps people understand how artificial intelligence (AI)-based systems affect everyday life, how AI works, what AI systems do with data, and why it matters.

Generation AI focuses on young people because they are growing up in a world where AI techniques appear everywhere, but are rarely explained.

We create free and open learning tools, classroom activities, and teaching approaches that make AI understandable without requiring programming skills. Our work brings together experts in technology, education, and law to make sure AI learning is practical, responsible, and fair. Generation AI is about giving people the knowledge and confidence to ask questions, spot problems, and make informed choices in a data-driven world.

Inclusion in the Digital World: Scratch Tactile

Scratch Tactile is an inclusive hybrid coding initiative that combines tangible resources and an accessible app to help children with and without disabilities develop digital skills and computational thinking from an early age, without barriers and through shared learning.

The project was created in response to a structural gap in digital and STEAM education: although programming and computational thinking are being progressively incorporated into curricula, many currently available tools still rely on screens, complex visual interfaces, or later-stage adaptations, which limits the full participation of part of the student population, especially children with disabilities, those in vulnerable contexts, or those in highly diverse classrooms. Scratch Tactile aims to ensure equitable access to digital skills from an early age through an accessible, inclusive, hybrid approach to tangible and digital coding.

Women in ICT Careers: THRIVE - Upskilling for Women

THRIVE – Upskilling for Women is a digital upskilling programme enabling refugee and migrant women to transition into tech careers. Through training in AI Literacy, machine learning, and project management, combined with mentoring and networking, it provides skills and pathways into the European labour market.

Many participants arrive in Europe with prior qualifications and strong motivation, but face structural barriers such as interrupted education pathways, limited professional networks, language difficulties, care responsibilities, and the non-recognition of foreign credentials.

These challenges significantly reduce access to skilled employment, particularly in high-demand digital fields. THRIVE addresses these barriers through a flexible, modular model that combines technical training, personalised mentoring and targeted career preparation.

Cybersecurity Skills: HackShield (Future Cyber Heroes)

HackShield (Future Cyber Heroes) is a European educational initiative designed to equip children with the digital and cybersecurity skills they need to safely navigate today’s online world. It is a game that trains children aged 8–12 years to become Cyber Agents who can protect themselves and their environment against the dangers of the online world.

HackShield contributes to Europe’s digital resilience and technological sovereignty by developing early cybersecurity skills. The initiative is helping to build a generation of citizens who understand the risks and responsibilities of the digital world, while inspiring future cybersecurity professionals who can strengthen Europe’s digital infrastructure. Using scalable public-private collaboration and engaging educational design, HackShield demonstrates how Europe can proactively invest in digital skills and cybersecurity awareness from an early age, creating a safer and more resilient digital future.

Thank you to all participants

A huge thank you from all of us at the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform to every project, organisation, and initiative that applied this year. Your passion for spreading digital skills across Europe is truly inspiring.

Each application showed its project's creativity, dedication, and real impact on people’s lives. Your efforts make a difference, and we’re grateful for everything you do to build a stronger, more connected European digital landscape. We’re excited to see how your work will continue to shape communities across the continent.