On the occasion of its 10th anniversary the EHFG has initiated the European Health Forum Award, to promote health policy initiatives with an European scope, that have contributed in a significant way to meet European health challenges. The health challenges Europe faces touch both public health and health care services and the common theme is an inequality and disparity in health status, access to services and the provision of treatment. The purpose of the Gastein Award is to highlight and reward an initiative in more than one European country that has contributed in a clear and significant way to meet some of these challenges and to ameliorating disparities in health services provision within Europe.