European prizes

What are the eTwinning European prizes? 

The eTwinning European prizes reward outstanding European eTwinning projects and give them maximum visibility. The aim is to identify, celebrate and promote innovative practices. 

Successful eTwinning projects promote collaborative learning. Students learn from one another, interact, communicate and therefore feel responsible for their own learning. A European eTwinning project starts with the participation of at least two teachers from different countries.

What are the prize categories?

There are five different age categories for the eTwinning European prizes:

• Early childhood education and care (ECEC): for projects carried out mainly with pupils aged up to 6 years.
• Pupils aged 7-11: for all projects carried out mainly with pupils of this age group.
• Pupils aged 12-15: for all projects carried out mainly with pupils of this age group.
• Pupils aged 16-19: for all projects carried out mainly with pupils of this age group.
• Projects in initial vocational education and training (IVET): for all projects carried out mainly by teachers working in an IVET institution and at, the same time, dealing with vocational content/subjects of a VET programme.

If a project involves more than one age category, the application can only be submitted in one age category.

An additional special category for eTwinning European prizes, in the field of Initial Teacher Education, has been awarded since 2022. Find out more about the European award for Initial Teacher Education. 

How are prize winners chosen?

Prizes are awarded to eTwinning projects that pass the different evaluation phases:

1. National Quality Label phase: Projects must obtain a National Quality Label (NQL). The NQL is given to projects that have reached a certain level of quality in five criteria. Projects are evaluated by the National Support Organisation (NSO) of each country.

2. European Quality Label phase: Projects with the National Quality Label can be awarded the European Quality Label by the Central Support Service (CSS) when they meet the following criteria:

   1. The project has been nominated for the European Quality Label by at least one NSO, after a screening process. Each NSO puts forward the top-ranking National Quality Labels based on their quality score.
   2. The project includes at least two partners from two different countries who have received the National Quality Label.

   The European Quality Labels are awarded to projects once a year (October-November) and are featured on the European School Education Platform.

3. Application for the eTwinning European prizes phase: Teachers involved in projects that have passed the previous two stages can apply for the eTwinning European prizes via the application form available on the European School Education Platform. Applications for the eTwinning European prizes usually have to be submitted in October and November. The exact dates are communicated when the application phase is launched.
    
4. Evaluation phase: All applications are evaluated via a thorough procedure with jurors at national and European level as follows: 
   1. First round: The NSOs nominate projects for the second round based on both an evaluation of the project activities as described in the application form and on an assessment of the outputs available (for instance in the project’s TwinSpace). Find out more about the evaluation criteria.
   2. Second round: A European jury of NSO members selects a shortlist of projects based on the results of the first round. They are selected through a comparison of the projects nominated by each NSO against the selection criteria. 
   3. Final round: A grand jury, including members from the European Commission, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency and the Central Support Service, evaluates the projects from the second round shortlist. They select the overall winners and runners-up for the different age categories.

Read more about the selection criteria and rules for the eTwinning European prizes.

When are the prizes awarded?

The prizes are awarded during the eTwinning annual conference. 

Further information

Selection criteria and rules for the eTwinning European prizes