The Emperor Maximilian Prize is an annual award that has been made to individuals since 1998 by the Tyrolean regional authority and the Innsbruck municipal authority for outstanding achievements in the field of European regional and local politics. In the course of the preparations for the 2019 Emperor Maximilian Commemorative Year, the decision was taken to modify the announcement and award process in order to make the prize in its overall concept even more relevant for citizens. Instead of outstanding individual achievements, the award is now targeted at projects and initiatives that employ a cooperative, creative and sustainable approach to service to the central goals of the process of European unification. In the light of today’s growing tendencies to revert to nation-based patterns of thought and argument, there is a clear need to make the general (European) public even more aware of the added value available from such cooperation between the regions and municipalities of Europe. Europe is the sum of all our common efforts in support of a life in peace, freedom and prosperity. Recognition of outstanding initiatives in this field is the objective of the Emperor Maximilian Prize, which has been given a completely new orientation on the occasion of the 5th centenary of the death of the eponymous emperor.