Five Brussels-based cultural and tourism initiatives have been recognised at the 2026 visit.brussels Awards, celebrating projects that contributed to the Belgian capital’s appeal both nationally and internationally during 2025.

The winners were announced on Thursday 24 September at the BIP, home to visit.brussels, during the twelfth edition of the awards. This year’s ceremony formed part of the Insights Day, an inspiration and networking event bringing together Brussels’ tourism partners. Around one hundred representatives from the events, culture, hospitality and meetings industries attended the gathering.

Boris Dilliès, Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, said: “The visit.brussels Awards celebrate the Brussels residents who, year after year, help make our capital such a distinctive and outstanding tourist destination. But I would also like to pay tribute to visit.brussels itself. No one understands better than you what makes this vibrant city tick.”

The awards recognised initiatives across culture, heritage, tourism and technology. The selection process began with around 50 submissions, from which the public selected four finalists in each of the main categories. A jury then chose the winners, assessing projects according to originality, innovation and overall success, alongside customer focus, environmental, economic and social sustainability, and efforts to improve accessibility for people with reduced mobility.

In the Brussels International Icon Award, recognising a meaningful contribution to Brussels’ international profile, the winner was the Art & History Museum’s 19th-Century Decorative Arts, Belgian Art Nouveau and Art Deco. The initiative involved the opening of two new galleries presenting an extensive collection of furniture and decorative objects from the nineteenth century, as well as the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. Many of the pieces had remained out of public view for years.
 

The Brussels Best Co-creation Award, celebrating collaboration between stakeholders active in Brussels’ culture and tourism sectors, went to Art Deco Brussels 2025. Developed by Urban in partnership with visit.brussels, the year-long programme explored the different facets of Brussels’ Art Deco heritage and brought them to a wider public.

The Brussels Treasure Award, recognising a project authentically rooted in Brussels, was awarded to Maison Gertrude. Located within a residential care centre, the arts centre brings artists, residents and care professionals together to explore and reveal the poetry of everyday life.

Technology was represented by FARI, winner of the Brussels Best Smart Experience Award. The initiative of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Université libre de Bruxelles focuses on the development, study, application and governance of artificial intelligence, data and robotics. Its stated approach centres on making these technologies trustworthy, transparent, open, inclusive, ethical and responsible.

The fifth award, the Brussels Best Reviews Award by MMGY-TCI Research, went to Escape Rush, a tourist attraction offering escape games in which visitors have 60 minutes to solve puzzles and escape a locked room. Unlike the other categories, this award was based on visitor ratings and did not involve either a public vote or jury assessment.

Together, the five winners reflect the breadth of Brussels’ tourism ecosystem, from the conservation and presentation of cultural heritage to collaborative city-wide programming, socially engaged arts, responsible technology and visitor-focused entertainment.
 

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