Launch of next year's Charlemagne Youth Prize
The selection procedure for next year's European Charlemagne Youth Prize was launched on 27 October. The prize is awarded to young people who have been involved in projects to promote understanding between people from different European countries. The deadline for submitting projects for next year's prize, the fourth since it came into being in 2008, is 23 January 2011.
The Charlemagne Youth Prize, which is jointly organised by the European Parliament and the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen, is awarded to projects undertaken by people between 16 and 30 years old. It aims to encourage the development of European consciousness among young people, as well as their participation in European integration projects. The Prize is awarded 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 winning projects should serve as role models for young people living in Europe. Youth exchange programmes, artistic and Internet projects with a European dimension are amongst the projects selected.
The three winning projects will be awarded funding of €5,000, €3,000, and €2,000 respectively. They will also be invited to visit the European Parliament.
2010 winners
In 2010, the German project "European CNC Network - Train for Europe" was awarded the first prize in the European Charlemagne Youth Prize competition. The project brought together 24 vocational schools to build a small-gauge locomotive and wagons. Second and third prizes went to "You are here", an Irish book project and "Best Engineering Competition BEC" from Bulgaria, respectively.
On 26 October, Members of the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education offered a warm welcome to the 2010 winners of the Charlemagne Youth Prize. MEPs complimented the winners on their presentations, which they said were inspiring, fun and entertaining and showed how young people were working for mutual understanding in Europe.