BSR Cultural Pearls 2027: Applications Submitted, Cultural Pearls 2027 will be announced on 9 November

The applications for BSR Cultural Pearls 2027 have been submitted, and the jury has begun its evaluation. The title recipients will be announced on 9 November 2026. Meanwhile, Cultural Pearls cities continue to bring communities together through cultural activities.

The past weeks have marked an important stage for BSR Cultural Pearls. Applications for the 2027 title have been submitted, and the international jury, comprising 11 members, has started evaluating the submitted Community Resilience Action Plans (CuReAPs). The applications reflect the participating municipalities’ approaches to addressing local challenges, strengthening community resilience and using culture to encourage citizen participation.

The new BSR Cultural Pearl will be announced on 9 November 2026, marking the next milestone in the programme. The selected municipality will join a growing network of towns and cities across the Baltic Sea Region that use culture as a means of fostering community engagement, dialogue and a sense of belonging.

An award ceremony is planned for 17 November in Glücksburg, as part of the first Future Cities Forum (16–18 November 2026).

While the next selection round is underway, Cultural Pearls 2026 continue to put their Action Plans into practice. Events such as Cats Night Culture in Kristinestad and the Karpathy Climate Festival in Krosno illustrate how cultural activities can create opportunities for people to connect, participate in local life and engage with their communities. By developing activities for different age groups and interests, the cities seek to reach residents who might otherwise have fewer opportunities to participate.

Another recent milestone was the project’s selection as one of the five finalists in the 2026 REGIOSTARS Awards, in the category “A Europe Closer to Citizens”. The finalists presented their projects during the European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels from 12 to 14 October 2026. Although BSR Cultural Pearls did not win the award, being selected as a finalist highlights the relevance of the project’s approach: supporting municipalities in developing locally driven solutions and using culture to strengthen community resilience and citizen participation.