Press Releases

Bank Austria Social Award 2026: 200,000 euros for social projects in Austria

• UniCredit Bank Austria has awarded the Bank Austria Social Prize for the seventeenth time in a row this year, supporting local charitable initiatives with a total of 200,000 euros 
• Given the high standing and great significance of the Bank Austria Social Award for social initiatives, UniCredit has doubled the prize money for 2026 compared with previous years
• In each federal state, 20,000 euros will be divided amongst three finalists: the project with the most votes in the online poll will receive 12,000 euros, the runner-up 6,000 euros and the third-placed project 2,000 euros
• This year, for the first time, in addition to the regional prizes, three projects across Austria will be honoured in the new ‘Social Urban Renewal’ category with a total of 20,000 euros

This year marks the seventeenth consecutive year that the Bank Austria Social Prize has recognised social initiatives in Austria. Given the award’s high reputation and great significance for social initiatives in Austria, UniCredit has decided to increase the total funding amount to 200,000 euros in 2026, thereby more than doubling it. Once again, there are 27 winners: three from each federal state. The project with the most votes in the online poll receives 12,000 euros, the runner-up 6,000 euros and the third-placed project 2,000 euros. This year, three projects across Austria that, in addition to having a social impact, also have a positive influence on urban renewal or revitalisation will be awarded a total of 20,000 euros in the new ‘Social Urban Renewal’ category.

The three winners from each federal state were shortlisted in advance by regional juries. The general public was able to decide the ranking of the projects in a final online vote held between 6 July and 3 September 2026 on the Social Prize platform (https://sozialpreis.bankaustria.at).

Ivan Vlaho, CEO of UniCredit Bank Austria, emphasises: “Charitable projects, associations and initiatives make an indispensable contribution to social cohesion throughout Austria. With the Bank Austria Social Award, we are now honouring this outstanding commitment for the seventeenth time, thereby supporting social projects in the regions in their important work. This year, we have also succeeded in doubling the prize money for 2026 and introducing a new category for the Bank Austria Social Award – ‘Social Urban Renewal’ – which we are particularly pleased about.”

The winning projects in the federal states:

Burgenland:

1. gabarage
   Craftsmanship and innovative design with added value: upcycling lies at the heart of the design philosophy, which extends the life cycle of raw materials and end-of-life products. ‘Gabarage’ redesigns various materials and products to create new design pieces!
2. Verein Autismus Burgenland
   This project aims to sustainably raise awareness and enhance professional expertise in working with people on the autism spectrum.
3. Der Gelbe Tisch
   The project combines the empowerment of women, cultural participation and regional craftsmanship, creating an open space where people of different generations and from different backgrounds can come together, learn from one another and create together.

Carinthia:

1. Alpha-Frauen
   The ‘Alpha-Frauen’ project is a social integration initiative specifically aimed at women from migrant backgrounds, as well as their children and young people, in Villach. 
2. Eltern stärken Eltern
   ‘Parents Empower Parents’ is a preventative mentoring programme for families facing difficult life circumstances. The aim of the project is to empower parents through the support of volunteer mentors, reduce social isolation and promote the long-term mental health of families. 
3. Re:EAGL
   The project aims to save used electrical appliances, furniture and food from being thrown away, conserve resources and, at the same time, open up new opportunities for people who face barriers to entering the labour market.

Lower Austria:

1. punkt.um
   The organisation creates a place where young people can find stability, courage and confidence again in times of crisis. punkt.um supports children, young people and families with psychotherapeutic and psychosocial support – in a sensitive, professional and respectful manner. 
2. Tiergestützte Intervention
   As part of ‘animal-assisted interventions’, the aim is to support children and young people in (and emerging from) crisis situations. Drawing on social pedagogy and trauma-informed pedagogy, communication and interaction are fostered through the use of animals and their owners, who act as bridge-builders.
3. Lernen fürs Leben
   ‘Learning for Life – with everyone, for everyone’ brings together children, young people and adults with and without disabilities. Through holiday care, school workshops and team-building activities, they learn, work and experience everyday life together.

Upper Austria:

1. Teddyhaus Linz
   The ‘Teddyhaus Linz’ provides a temporary home for families of children, teenagers and young adults with congenital heart defects. 
2. mosaik – Sprach- und Kulturbegleiterinnen
   The ‘Sprach- und Kulturbegleiterinnen’ project trains women from migrant backgrounds to provide support in school settings, particularly in primary schools. 
3. RESi
   ‘RESi’ operates where educational opportunities arise – in schools, in everyday family life and in the children’s immediate living environment. The project targets neighbourhoods facing particular social challenges and creates sustainable structures that support children, strengthen families and ease the burden on schools.

Salzburg:

1. Sindbad
   ‘Sindbad’ Salzburg supports young people during a crucial transitional phase between school, vocational training and work. The programme is aimed in particular at young people facing difficult starting conditions and helps them to shape their educational and career paths independently and successfully.
2. Vom Hof ins Leben (Paracelsushof)
   The Paracelsushof supports young people with special needs in developing key personal, social and vocational skills.
3. Pi mal Daumen
   ‘Pi mal Daumen’ is committed to greater educational equity by providing free and easily accessible maths learning resources for young people in Austria. The project is aimed in particular at pupils from financially or socially disadvantaged families who need support in preparing for their maths A-levels.

Styria:

1. FemRe
   ‘FemRe’ is a specialised counselling project that supports migrant women in particularly vulnerable life situations by providing free, easily accessible and multilingual legal advice.
2. Mut tut von klein auf gut
   ‘Mut tut von klein auf gut – Gewaltschutzkasperl’ is a preventative educational programme aimed at early violence prevention for children in childcare and educational settings. The project conveys key concepts of protection against violence and violence prevention in an age-appropriate and interactive manner. 
3. Odilien Lernhilfe Plus
   ‘Odilien Lernhilfe Plus’ is an inclusive support project that assists pupils at all school levels – in particular children and young people at the Odilien Institute’s school centres. 

Tyrol:

1. MuTiger
   ‘MuTiger’ empowers children from pre-school age onwards, as it is precisely during this phase of life that the foundations for self-confidence, social skills and resilience are laid.
2. Zusammen in Tirol - Abenteuerzeit
   ‘Zusammen in Tirol – Abenteuerzeit’ is a new day camp for children aged 7 to 13 from families in Tyrol facing financial, social or health challenges, which we will be offering for the first time in summer 2026.
3. Barrierefreies Skifahren mit Wiffzack
   ‘Wiffzack’ enables children and young people with special educational needs to actively participate in sport, exercise and communal leisure activities.

Vorarlberg:

1. W*ORT
   W*ORT is a free learning, cultural and social hub for children, young people and anyone keen to learn, of all ages, in Lustenau.
2. Hobby Lobby Dornbirn
   The ‘Hobby Lobby’ offers free, accessible leisure courses for children and young people aged 6 to 15 from socio-economically disadvantaged families.
3. Venue: Wörterwald
   At ‘Wörterwald’, nursery children who need extra support with German attend primary school once a week during their final year of nursery to discover the German language through play. 

Vienna:

1. ‘kinderhände’
   The ‘kinderhände’ association has been supporting families with children who have hearing impairments for 20 years. It provides access to and language support in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) for children, families and educators.
2. BRIDGERS
   ‘Bridgers’ empowers young people, whether or not they have experience of displacement or migration, to deal with hate, disinformation and extremist content on social media.
3. Superar – Verein zur Förderung der Musik
   The ‘Superar’ beginners’ orchestra in Vienna’s Favoriten district offers children aged 8 and over a free introduction to the world of music. With no prior musical knowledge, they learn to play a string instrument such as the violin, viola, cello or double bass and become part of a children’s orchestra right from the start. 

The winning projects in the ‘Social Urban Renewal’ category:

1. Kleinstadtbiotop Vöcklabruck
   The Kleinstadtbiotop Vöcklabruck is a public-interest urban development project that transforms derelict spaces in the town centre into a vibrant hub for work, education, art and social interaction.
2. Generationenquartier 8112
   The ‘Generationenquartier 8112’ project aims to turn the public space in the centre of Gratwein-Straßengel into a vibrant space for social interaction, play and daily life for all generations.
3. FENCO&friends
   Women from diverse backgrounds – in particular migrant women, young female artists and participants facing barriers to entering the labour market – work together here on textile projects, develop creative skills and gain new career prospects.

Further information on the Social Award and the winning projects can be found here: https://www.bankaustria.at/ueber-uns-verantwortung-soziales-sozialpreis.jsp

Enquiries:
UniCredit Bank Austria Media Relations
Matthias Raftl, Tel.: +43 (0) 5 05 05-52809;
Email: matthias.raftl@unicreditgroup.at