Athens is among the six European cities shortlisted for the 2018 European Capital Innovation Award, organised under the auspices of the European Commission.
The other cities that made it to the final stage were: Aarhus (Denmark), Hamburg (Germany), Leuven (Belgium), Toulouse (France) and Umeå (Sweden).

The winner will be announced at the Web Summit in Lisbon on 6 November by Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science, and Innovation.
Cities are judged on how they implement innovative solutions to societal challenges. These solutions can be completed or ongoing but must have been implemented in the year prior to the opening of the contest or the contest year itself.

The goal of the event is to award and recognise European cities’ best able to demonstrate their ability to harness innovation to improve the lives of its citizens.
In particular, cities that
• contribute to open and dynamic innovation ecosystems
• involve citizens in governance and decision-making
• use innovation to improve the resiliency and sustainability of their cities

This prize enables European cities to showcase their contribution to developing local innovation ecosystems for the benefit of businesses and the well-being of their citizens
The financial prized are:
€1 million to the city named European Innovation Capital of the year.
€100,000 to each of the five runner-up cities.
Cities will have to show how they created the conditions for innovation by
• experimenting with innovative concepts, processes, tools, and governance models as a test-bed for innovation
• engaging citizens in the innovation process and ensuring the uptake of their ideas
• expanding the city’s attractiveness to become a role model for other cities
• empowering citizens by bringing concrete and measurable added value through the implementation of innovative practices
Applications are judged by a panel of independent experts from across Europe.