Since 2008, the European Parliament together with the ‘Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen’ have each year been inviting young people from all EU Member States to submit projects run by and for youth showing an active participation in the development of Europe.

CAN WE PARTICIPATE?

Young people aged between 16 and 30 from any EU Member States can submit projects for the European Charlemagne Youth Prize.

Projects can be submitted individually or, preferably, in groups. They should promote European and international understanding; foster the development of a shared sense of European identity and integration; and provide role models for young people living in Europe and offer practical examples of Europeans living together as one community.

WHAT TYPE OF PROJECT CAN WE SUBMIT?

Previous winners have been awarded for projects such as youth exchanges, events in the fields of sports, arts or culture or may take the form of online projects with a European dimension. Have a look here to read about previous winners’ projects.

WHAT IF WE WIN?

The prize for the best project is €7500, the second €5000 and the third €2500. As part of the prize, the three European laureates are invited to visit the European Parliament in Brussels or Strasbourg.

One representative of each national winning project is invited to Aachen for several days to attend several events, including the Youth Prize Award Ceremony, which always takes place two days before Ascension Day, the day on which the prestigious International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen is awarded.

The prizes for the best three projects will be presented by the President of the European Parliament and representatives of the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen.

Your project will also receive lots of coverage through the European Parliament’s and the Foundation’s media channels.

… and last but not least, your stay in Aachen will be a unique chance to meet and network with other dynamic young people from all over Europe, a platform to share your vision about Europe in front of European leaders and for many it will be the beginning of some long-lasting friendships with like-minded young people from all over Europe!

Apply for the 2021 edition of the European Charlemagne Youth Prize

Aged 16-30 and working on a project with a European dimension? Apply for the 2021 Charlemagne Youth Prize and get rewarded for your project to further develop your initiative.

The European Parliament and the International Charlemagne Prize Foundation of Aachen award the Charlemagne Youth Prize every year to projects run by young people with a strong EU dimension. Applications for 2021 open on 9 November 2020 and run until 1 February 2021.

The prize

The three winning projects will be chosen from 27 projects nominated by national juries in all EU countries. The first prize is €7,500, second prize €5,000 and third prize €2,500.

Representatives of all 27 national winning projects will be invited to the Charlemagne Youth Prize award ceremony in Aachen in May 2020.

The rules

Projects must: meet the following criteria in order to qualify:

• promote European and international understanding
• foster the development of a shared sense of European identity and integration
• serve as a role model for young people living in Europe
• offer practical examples of Europeans living together as one community

If you have any questions, email ECYP2021@ep.europa.eu 

Social media

Join the discussion on social media using the hashtag #ECYP2021.

Timetable

9 November 2020: launch of the competition

1 February 2021: deadline for submitting projects

March 2021: announcement of the national winners

11 May 2021: award ceremony in Aachen

Legal notice

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/portal/en/legal-notice

Rules of the competition

Article 1: Theme of the competition

The European Parliament and the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen invite young people from all EU Member States to participate in a competition on EU development, integration and European identity issues.

The ‘European Charlemagne Youth Prize’ is awarded to projects, which:

• promote European and international understanding,
• foster the development of a shared sense of European identity and integration,
• serve as a role model for young people living in Europe and offer practical examples of Europeans living together as one community.

The projects can focus on the organisation of various youth events, youth exchanges or online projects with a European dimension.

Article 2: Application deadline

The submission deadline is 1 February 2021 (00:00 CET)

Applications must be submitted online via the website of the European Charlemagne Youth Prize (www.charlemagneyouthprize.eu).

For more information please send an email to ECYP2021@ep.europa.eu

Article 3: Participation requirements

Applicants must be between 16 and 30 years old and must be citizens or residents of an EU Member State.
Participants can apply, either individually or in groups; in the case of group and cross-border projects, the project can only be submitted in one country which is closely linked to the project.

Projects can be submitted in all official EU languages. Projects submitted for the competition must have started and:

a) have finished between 1 January 2020 and 1 February 2021 or
b) be still running.

All applications must include the following information:

• Applicant’s surname and first name (or surname and first name of the responsible contact in the case of a group or organisation)
• Country of residence
• Nationality
• Date of birth
• E-mail address
• Telephone number
• Website (if available)
• Title of the project
• Summary in English, French or German
• Complete description of the project in any of the official EU-languages
• Declaration of EU funding

Only projects submitted through the online form will be accepted.

Article 4: Exclusion criteria

The following projects are ineligible:

• projects in the planning stage which have not started
• projects submitted by individuals working in a European institution or for the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen
• academic theses and publications
• projects which have already received an EU prize or more than 75% European funding (such as, for example under: Horizon 2020, Erasmus+, Jean Monnet or another EU funding pro-gramme)
• the final three European winners of previous editions of European Charlemagne Youth Prize.

Article 5: Evaluation criteria

Projects will be evaluated according to the following principles:

• they must fulfil the objectives of the competition: promote European and international understanding; foster the development of a shared sense of European identity and offer practical examples of Europeans living together as one community
• priority will be given to projects created jointly by young people representing several Member States
• attention will be given to projects carried out on a voluntary basis

Article 6: Selection process

The winners of the European Charlemagne Youth Prize will be selected in a two-phases process.
First, national juries consisting of at least two Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and one youth organisation representative select one national winner per EU Member State by 15 March 2021.

Secondly, the European jury, which consists of three MEPs, the President of the European Parliament and four representatives of the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen select the winner from all national winning projects submited by national juries in April 2021.

The decision of the European jury is final. The jury reserves a right to reject any entry that does not comply with the requirements of the competition.

Article 7: Prize

The prize for the best project is 7,500 EUR, the second, 5,000 EUR and the third 2,500 EUR.

One representative of each of the national winning projects will be invited to the award ceremony on 11 May 2021 and a stay of several days in Aachen, Germany

The prizes for the best three projects will be presented by the President of the European Parliament and representatives of the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen.

As part of the prize, the laureates will be invited to visit the European Parliament (in Brussels or in Strasbourg).

Article 8: Copyright

The European Parliament and the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen reserve the right to reproduce the contributed material for presentation, media and promotional purposes.

Article 9: Responsibility

The organisers cannot be held responsible for the cancellation, postponement or modification of the competition due to unforeseen circumstances.

Article 10: Acceptance of regulations

Participation in the competition implies full acceptance of the above rules.

For more information please open this link

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/charlemagneyouthprize/en/2021.html

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