The European Charlemagne Youth Prize´´ aims at encouraging the development of a European consciousness among young people, as well as their participation in European integration project. The Prize is granted to projects undertaken by young people which foster understanding, promote the development of a shared sense of European identity, and offer practical examples of Europeans living together as one community.
The Charlemagne Youth Prize targets young people aged between 16 and 30 who have been involved with projects helping to promote understanding between peoples of different European countries.
Organised by the European Parliament and the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen, the Charlemagne Youth Prize winners will receive funding of €2,000 - €5,000 for existing projects that foster a shared sense of European identity and cooperation. Representatives of the best projects from each of the 27 EU Member States will be invited to Aachen, in Germany, on 19 May 2009, to participate in the award ceremony.
As well as promoting European and international understanding, the winning projects could serve as role models for young people living in Europe. In particular, the organisers are looking for practical examples of Europeans living together. The projects can focus on the organisation of youth events, youth exchanges or Internet projects with a European dimension.
Last year a Hungarian youth project "Students without Boundaries" was awarded the first Charlemagne Youth Prize. Thanks to this project, more than one hundred students from Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine and other countries gather every year for leadership workshops on European issues. The second and third prize went to the United Kingdom and Greece respectively.
The Prize is awarded annually to projects which:
>> Promotes 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.
There are three prizes - 1st, 2nd and 3rd between 2,000 - 5,000 euros plus the opportunity for national winners to visit the European Parliament and to travel to Aachen in May for the awards ceremony with all other national winners.
Requirements:
>> Participants should be 16-30 years old.
>> Participants must be citizens or residents of one of the 27 member states of the European Union.
>> Participants can apply, either individually or in groups
>> Applications in all official languages of the European Union are eligible
The projects submitted for the competition must have started and:
a) finished within the calendar year (12 months) preceding the current application deadline or
b) be still running.
Download the Application form or for further information please contact:
For further information, contact:
or Nikos Salliarelis nikos.salliarelis@europarl.europa.eu, tel: 0032 (0)498 983326
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