On the 20th of June 2018, The European Commission and the European Parliament awarded 22 winners of the 2017 “Altiero Spinelli Prize for Outreach: spreading knowledge about Europe”. Being the first of its kind, this award ceremony was initiated by a member of the European Parliament, Luigi Morgano, as a pilot project, the longevity of which depended on its success.
The contest had several goals, one of which was to draw attention to the European project and restore the much needed faith and trust in it after all the criticism it had received lately. In order to do just that, the projects submitted to the contest had to adhere to the objectives appointed, among which was promoting knowledge of the EU and exposing anti-EU populist myths.
The contest was open to people of all ages, of different backgrounds and nationalities. In order to participate, the applicant(s) had to meet the following criteria:
- Have a master degree ( or, in case of a team project, the leader had to have a master degree)
- Be a EU citizen, live in an EU member state, or to be affiliated to any type of body that has a formal legal status in an EU Member State.
- Being a first time participant in a contest organised by the European Institutions.
There were 22 winning projects out of the 279 applications received. Among them a novel based on truthful stories of migrants, a photo exhibition, studies on EU related topics and conferences etc. The six first prize winners received a monetary award of 50.000 € per project, the six second prize winners received 30.000 € per project, and last but not least, the ten third prize winners received 17.000 € per project.
Following from this year’s success, the “Altiero Spinelli Prize for Outreach: spreading knowledge about Europe” is likely to be renewed and become an annual event. A second edition should be expected soon, a call for which should be found in the
Calls section of the European Union’s official website.
Altiero Spinelli was an Italian communist and co-author of one of the most famous political manifestos which he co-wrote with Ernesto Rossi while they were both imprisoned on the island of Ventoteni in Italy, during the second world war. He is known as one of the founding fathers of the European Union, title he received for his many contribution to the European Unity.
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