What a night! EmpowerEU Awards 2025 held at London's City Hall

Celebrating the power of grass-roots organisations

We proudly announce the winners of the EmpowerEU Awards 2025 (#EmpowerEUawards), celebrating EU citizens in the UK and the inspiring grassroots organisations that are making a meaningful impact in their communities. These awards honour exceptional efforts across civil society to strengthen EU-UK relations. 

EUD

The room at the EmpowerEU Awards ceremony buzzed with energy and shared purpose. 100 guests filled London’s City Hall including representatives from civil society organisations, EU citizens from across the UK, and members of the diplomatic community. The event became a vibrant celebration of community spirit, the commitment of volunteers, and shared European values. Before the awards ceremony we held a workshop with representatives of the shortlisted organisations to explore opportunities for collaboration.

EUD

“The EmpowerEU Awards ceremony is an opportunity to recognise change-makers, to connect, to celebrate and to be inspired.  We place great pride in working with civil society and consider grassroots engagement as key to our relationship with the UK. People-to-people contacts are also recognised as one of the main pillars of the EU-UK relationship.”

 EU Ambassador Pedro Serrano

Let's congratulate the winners for their incredible work and contributions: 
 

EUD

Category 1: Youth Champions Winner: Erasmus Student Network UK (ESN)

ESN UK Supports EU and international students in the UK and advocates for accessible mobility opportunities through the Embrace Erasmus+ campaign. ESN contributed research through its award-winning project International Student Perspective UK, and represented EU students at the EU-UK Youth Dialogue at the LSE in 2024 and in Newcastle in November 2025. ESN UK has chapters in London, Wales, Midlands, North England, and Scotland.

EUD

Category 2: Community Champions Winner: Liverpool European Partnership 

The Liverpool European Partnership brings together EU citizens and allies to celebrate European identity and tackle challenges facing local communities.Over the past year, they delivered the Liverpool European Festival, a city-wide celebration that reached over 1,000 participants. Alongside this, they hosted a European Conference with the University of Liverpool and convened a European Business Meeting, giving EU nationals a visible and active role in the civic and economic life of the region.

EUD

Category 3: Inspiring European Connection: Scottish Advisory Forum on Europe (SAFE)

SAFE is a broad civil society coalition sustaining Scotland’s links with Europe and ensuring citizens’ voices are heard in the EU-UK relationship. In 2025 SAFE hosted impactful events including a Westminster parliamentary drop-in, a ministerial roundtable, a public discussion with the EU Ambassador to the UK, and participation in the European Youth Event in Strasbourg. 

2025 - A record year for Empower EU Awards entries 

We congratulate all the winners and shortlisted nominees of the #EmpowerEUawards:

Centrala, CONNECTS-UK, Scottish Advisory Forum on Europe (SAFE), UCL European and International Social and Political Studies Society, Youth for Inclusive Europe, Erasmus Student Network UK, Europia, Liverpool European Partnership and New Europeans UK. 

Your efforts to build networks, promote unity, and support EU citizens in the UK create lasting, positive change across borders. 

EUD

Finally huge thanks to the Greater London Authority and Debbie Weekes-Bernard, the Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice in London, for taking part in the awards ceremony."