The best Leader projects of the year 2026 announced – preparedness and young engagement awarded
Two strong examples of local engagement and community development have been named winners of the Best Leader Project of the Year 2026. During the Leader Gala, Beredda Byar was awarded in the category of Best Leader Project of the Year and Karsholms Gäddfabrik in the category of Best Young Leader Project of the Year.
The awards highlight projects that, through the Leader method, create lasting values for rural areas and local communities through collaboration, engagement, and local drive.
The Year’s Best Leader Project and the Year’s Best Young Leader Project are awarded to highlight successful projects that, through the Leader method, contribute to sustainable development, innovation, and local mobilization in Sweden's rural areas.
Winner in the category of Best Young Leader Project of the Year
Karsholm's Pike Factory
Jury's motivation:
”With youthful drive, great engagement, and a strong will to make a difference, the winner of the Young Leader Project of the Year has quickly gone from idea to concrete results. Through voluntary efforts, creativity, and small resources, the project has created lasting values and laid the foundation for long-term engagement for the future.”
About the project
In the category of Best Young Leader Project of the Year, the award goes to Karsholms Gäddfabrik, an initiative driven by the fishing enthusiast 15-year-old Ruben in the Stockholm archipelago.
Aiming to contribute to the preservation of threatened predatory fish stocks, Ruben took the initiative to create a spawning area for pike and perch at Karsholm. To realize the idea, he formed the Karsholm Fishing Conservation Association and carried out the project together with an adult mentor, experts in fish conservation, and local islanders.
The project has not only created important environmental values but also inspired other young people to believe in their ideas and the possibility of putting them into practical action.
Winner in the category of Best Leader Project of the Year
Beredda Byar – a preparedness project across municipal borders
Jury's motivation
”With broad engagement and strong collaboration around a pressing issue, the winner of the Leader Project of the Year has changed the perception of local resilience. By building trust, strengthening people's agency, and spreading knowledge that can be applied in other rural areas, the project creates long-term values for the future.”
About the project
This year's winner in the category of Best Leader Project of the Year is Beredda Byar, a project that has made rural areas an active part of Sweden's preparedness.
By bringing together rural areas, municipalities, researchers, and authorities, the project has developed a model where relationships, local knowledge, and shared responsibility strengthen community resilience before, during, and after crises.
The jury particularly highlights how the project has shifted focus from resources and plans to people, trust, and agency. The working method has inspired actors at regional, national, and international levels and shows how locally led development can create social change far beyond its own project area.