Every year since 2008, young Europeans aged between 16 and 30, can present a project for the European Charlemagne Youth Prize.
This prize is awarded by the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen in cooperation with the European Parliament and the selection procedure takes place every year between March and May. Each Member State presents one project, and in the end, three projects are selected. The European laureates will receive three different prizes, according to their ranking and they will have the opportunity to attend several events such as the award ceremony in Aachen (Germany), the centre of Charlemagne’s Empire. They will also be invited to visit the European Parliament in both Brussels and Strasbourg.
This whole initiative aims to promote European cooperation and identity. It also draws attention to the promotion of European development and creativity through youth projects. In fact, the youth plays a key role in the future of Europe. They are building and shaping the European Union for the next generations.
Young Europeans can present their work in any of the languages of the European Union and on various domains such as arts, culture, sports, sciences, new technologies etc. They can do it individually or in groups. This initiative embodies the European Union as one single community and provides some models for all young Europeans. It has been designed for young Europeans who would like to get involved in an innovative project and work together in a multicultural environment. The President of the European Parliament hosts the award ceremony with some representatives from the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. The award ceremony usually takes places in May.
For this year, the deadlines are the following:
- March 2022 : appointment of main nominees, at national level
- May 2022 : Award ceremony taking place in Aachen (Germany)
If you are interested and want to take part in European projects that are close to your heart and that will help you gain experience in your field of predilection, do not hesitate to search for a project and to apply for next year!
You will be able to work with people from all over Europe and contribute to very interesting projects that will have a remarkable impact at a wider level.
You could be the next winner of the European Charlemagne Youth Prize!
References:
European Charlemagne Youth Prize (#ECYP2022) | European Parliament European Charlemagne Youth Prize. 2022. European Charlemagne Youth Prize (#ECYP2022) | European Parliament European Charlemagne Youth Prize. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/charlemagneyouthprize/en/introduction.html [Accessed 03 March 2022].
European Charlemagne Youth Prize | By European Parliament. 2022. European Charlemagne Youth Prize | By European Parliament. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.oneyoungworld.com/charlemagne-youth-prize [Accessed 03 March 2022].
European Youth Portal. 2022. Take part in the European Charlemagne Youth Prize 2022! | European Youth Portal. [ONLINE] Available at: https://europa.eu/youth/news/take-part-european-charlemagne-youth-prize-2022_en [Accessed 03 March 2022].
National Youth Council of Ireland. 2022. Charlemagne Youth Prize – National Youth Council of Ireland. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.youth.ie/articles/charlemagne-youth-prize/ [Accessed 03 March 2022].
Written by Cécile Mayeres
She holds a Master’s degree in Translation and Cross-Cultural Communication with a specialization in European mobility. She now does a traineeship in Communication at the Terminology Coordination Unit.