This competition was a first step in a larger public awareness campaign that is being launched by the European Union to make Europeans more aware of the dangers of counterfeit and pirated goods and their harmful effects on consumers and the economy. The winners, students between 10 and 15 years old, were invited to a grand awards ceremony at the European Parliament, in Brussels held in June 23rd.

Winners of the Real FAKE competition have been presented by Internal Market and Services Commissioner Michel Barnier, and members of the European Parliament in a ceremony organized at the Europea Parliament. This competition, addressed to schools, aimed at raise awareness among youngest citizens about the dangers of fake products and piracy.

The "REAL fake" competition was carried out throughout the EU between March and June 2010 and was aimed at students between 10 and 15 years old. Young people across Europe were given the chance to produce posters, short videos, games, cartoons or other educational material that highlight the implications of counterfeiting and piracy. Alternatively, participants could design a winning logo for the European Observatory on Counterfeiting and Piracy.

Hundreds of submissions from all over Europe were received, from which an independent jury made its selection of successful entries.

Real FAKE competition winners

First category: winners of the 1st category for best "Logo/Poster" for the European Observatory on Counterfeiting and Piracy

• 1st place – 1st High School of Triandria (Greece);
• 2nd place – IES Sabinar-Roquetas de Mar (Almería, Spain);
• 3rd place – Gimnazjum z Oddziałami Integracyjnymi nr 4 im. Orła Białego w Słupsku (Poland).

2nd category for best "Video"

• 1st place – Vörösmarty Mihály Általános Iskola és Alapfokú Művészetoktatási Intézmény (Hungary);
• 2nd place – Gymnázium Nymburk (Czech Republic);
• 3rd place – Gimnazjum w Jasienicy (Poland).

Prizes ranged from computer equipment for the schools to consoles, games, sportswear and educational material for the children.

All winners were invited to Brussels, where they received their prizes from notable MEPs (Edit Herczog, Bill Newton Dunn and Andreas Schwab) and the Internal Market and Services Commissioner, Michel Barnier. Fashion designer and former model Yasmin Le Bon, vice president of Unifab Philipe Lacoste and singer/songwriter Alain Chamfort were also on hand to congratulate the successful schools. President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek made a key appearance at the exhibition of counterfeited and pirated goods organised during the event.

European Observatory on Counterfeiting and Piracy

Launched by the European Commission in 2009, in the scope of the industrial property rights strategy for Europe, the European Observatory on Counterfeiting and Piracy has been set up to ensure greater collaboration between industry, public administrations and consumers in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy. The Observatory serves as a platform to allow exchanges of practical experiences, raising public awareness and sharing best practices on enforcement techniques. Crucially the Observatory is a central resource for gathering, monitoring and reporting essential data and information that will improve the EU's knowledge about the dangers of counterfeiting and piracy.