The city of Dnipro has won the national competition "Youth Capital of Ukraine 2026," reports the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
"The winner was determined during the final meeting of the competition’s supervisory board. Representatives of the finalist cities presented their achievements, practices, and youth policy development plans at the local level," the ministry’s statement reads.
It is noted that this year ten cities reached the finals: Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kropyvnytsky, Lutsk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Chernivtsi. A total of 17 applications were submitted for participation in the competition.
The ministry said that the status of Youth Capital of Ukraine is recognition of the work of the city, its team, the youth community, and the entire hromada, as well as an opportunity to become an example for other cities, share effective practices, and implement new approaches to working with youth.
"The competition was resumed under conditions of full-scale war. Today, its significance goes far beyond individual events or youth spaces. Youth policy is also about the resilience of communities, involving young people in the recovery of the country, supporting young people, and creating opportunities that help them build a future in Ukraine," the statement says.
Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Matvii Bidny emphasized that the winning city must show how youth policy works in practice: engaging youth in decision-making, supporting youth initiatives, and participation in the country’s recovery.
According to the report, Chernivtsi took second place, and Zaporizhia placed third.
