The European Democratic Citizenship Awards celebrate civic engagement and annually reward innovative civic initiatives and actors whose day-to-day struggles give real substance to European values*, create ownership of the public space and improve the lives of our communities in terms of democracy, social justice and universal access to rights.

Our understanding of European democratic citizenship is built upon the Council of Europe vision, as a value-based lifelong process of ownership and belonging which:

• Includes all aspects of life in a democratic society relating to a vast range of topics such as education, culture, sustainable development, non-discrimination, inclusion of ethnic minorities, participation in society of people with disabilities, gender equality including the equal representation of women and men in decision making, etc;
• Guarantees that citizens and their organisations and movements, including the most disadvantaged groups, can participate in the life of their communities and the shaping of public policies at all levels, from local to the European.

Four awards will be attributed falling under the following categories:

1. The Campaign of the Year rewarding awareness raising or advocacy campaigns run in 2014, with a real and proven impact on community life or public action and a high potential of driving transformative change;
2. The NGO of the Year rewarding non-profit organisations for innovative transnational activities implemented in 2014 that contribute to the development of education for democracy and human rights in accordance with the objectives of the Council of Europe’s Charter on education for democratic citizenship and human rights education;
3. The Personality of the Year rewarding individuals for their outstanding and emancipatory contribution to the democratic life, the social progress and the development of their community;
4. The Media Initiative of the Year rewarding collaborative initiatives for, by and with citizens that, using different tools such as Internet, social media, audio-visual materials, contribute to enhance participation, foster informed citizenry, enable the development of civic space. Special attention will be given in 2015 to initiatives promoting freedom of expression. Professional journalism initiatives are not eligible under this category.

In order to participate and have a chance to be selected, please complete the following online form before 31 August 2015 by clicking here. Following the deadline, an international jury will select the shortlisted nominees within each category.

Please make sure that you read and comply with the EDCA rules of procedure before submitting your online application.

The laureates will be designated following an online vote, open to all, from 7 to 28 September 2015. Finally, the Awards ceremony will be hosted by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 22nd October. Beyond the ceremony, laureates will have the chance to present their initiatives during the World Forum for Democracy, organised in Strasbourg (18-20 November 2015).

The Awards ceremony will be hosted by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 22nd October.

For any further information, please consult ECF dedicated webpage for the European Democratic Citizenship Awards

* Respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities, pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men.