FAQ about the Charlemagne Youth Prize

  1. We are looking for projects that: promote European and international understanding; promote shared sense of European identity and European integration; encourage other young people in Europe to get involved in our democracy; offer practical examples of Europeans living together as one community.

    Your project can take any form. For example, it could focus on the organisation of various youth events such as (but not limited to) youth exchanges, simulation games, youth political festivals, exhibitions, trainings, online projects, or similar exercises. You are free to be creative and employ new frameworks for your project, as long as it fits the criteria mentioned.

    For projects that are not eligible, please see question I am not sure if my project would be eligible. How can I check?

  2. The following projects are not eligible for the European Charlemagne Youth Prize:

    a. Projects in the planning stage or in the first stages of implementation for which no results can be identified at the start of the application procedure;

    b. Projects submitted by individuals working in a European institution or for the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen;

    c. Academic theses and publications;

    d. Projects that have already received a prize awarded by a European institution, body, office or agency;

    e. The three European winners of previous editions of European Charlemagne Youth Prize;

    f. Activities that have profit-making as their primary objective;

    g. Activities by governmental organisations.

    If you or your project falls under one or more of these categories, then your project will not be eligible for the prize.

  3. Yes. However, please consider that the project should be sufficiently mature so the jury can evaluate its results. If, for example, your project has just started or if is still an idea, we suggest you wait to submit it for next year’s edition of the Prize.

  4. No. If applicants have more than one project to submit, they can submit as many projects as they wish. However, one project should be submitted only once. Submission of the same project in two or more different countries is NOT possible.

  5. To submit your project, please go to the online application form.

    You can fill in the application in any EU language, and you may upload documents and pictures illustrating your project.

  6. 12 February 2024 (23:59:59 CET)

  7. It is up to the project’s team to decide. In some cases, it may be the team leader, a programme manager, a communication officer or even a regular participant. Keep in mind that to be eligible, an applicant should be a resident in an EU Member State and be between 16 and 30 years of age.

  8. The application form is available in all official EU languages.

  9. If your project takes place in just one Member State, you should submit it in that Member State.

    In case of a transnational project (being implemented in more than one Member State, or having participants from several Member States), the project should be submitted in one Member State which is most closely linked to the project. This decision must be made by the applicant. An applicant can submit their project only in one Member State.

  10. Yes. Projects that are not among the three final winners of previous editions of the Prize can be submitted again. However, as the Prize is annual, projects that were eligible for the previous edition and were finalized a year ago will not be taken into account. The same organizations can apply with the new project implemented in the year of the Prize.

  11. No. We suggest you prepare your application offline with the requested data, which you can then copy into the online application form

  12. Yes. You must submit your application in one sitting as it is not possible to save the application and to return to it at a later stage. We suggest that you prepare your application offline with the requested data, which you can then copy into the online application form.

  13. One description is a short summary of your project. This should be in English, French or German, as it will allow the Prize Secretariat to refer to it in future communication about your project.

     

    A full project description can be written in any of the official EU languages. This description will be used to assess the project, so it should show how your project: promotes European and international understanding; shared sense of European identity and European integration; encourages other young people in Europe to get involved in our democracy; and offers practical examples of Europeans living together as one community. The jury will also evaluate how well these criteria have been achieved, as well as the creativity and innovation of the project.

    In the long description, please mention the following:

    • how your project fulfills the objectives of the Prize
    • what are your project's main and specific objectives, how will they be/are achieved
    • what is your target audience
    • what are the results of the project (expected or achieved)
    • how will you disseminate the information about the project
    • how will you measure the success of your project
    • how many people participated in the project and how many people it reached out to
  14. National juries composed of Members of the European Parliament and representatives of national youth organisation will decide upon the national winners in all Member States within one month following the submission deadline, at which point we will contact the winners and inform them of the next steps. After that, the European jury will gather to select three European winners out of 27 national winners. The winners will be announced during the Award Ceremony in Aachen.

  15. The national winners are announced by the European Parliament Liaison offices in the Member States. After that, the Youth Outreach Unit team reaches out to all the national winners with further information.

    One representative per project will be invited to the Aachen Winners’ Week, where they will be able to meet each other, as well as with former European prize winners. Costs for the participation in this event are borne by the European Parliament and the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. All project representatives will also receive a certificate from the European Parliament President and the Chairman of the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen.

    All national winners will be invited to stay in touch with the European Parliament and the Aachen Foundation and could be invited to take part in future youth events.

  16. Three European winners are selected by the European jury out of 27 national winners.
    The three European winners are announced during the Award Ceremony in Aachen, where all the national winners are invited.

    The Prize for the European winners:
    - First place receives €7500, the second €5000 and the third €2500
    - As part of this Prize, the three European laureates are invited to present their projects in the European Parliament in Brussels or Strasbourg
    - As part of this Prize, the three European laureates get a chance to participate in the European Parliament's Schuman traineeship program. For more information on this, please read: What are the rules for the Schuman traineeship for the European winners?

  17. One representative from each of the 3 European laureates will be offered the opportunity of a Schuman traineeship in the European Parliament. A representative nominated to take the traineeship should be part of the core team of the winning project and meet all the eligibility criteria for the traineeship scheme. The traineeship could be taken up starting on either 1 October or on 1 March in the 12 months following the award of the Prize. Details about this opportunity will be communicated directly to the national winning projects ahead of the Award Ceremony.

  18. Please send your enquiries in English, French or German about the application process by e-mail to youth@ep.europa.eu(Privacy Policy)

     

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