Celebrating Young Volunteers Across Europe: The ESC Participation Awards 2026
Every year, thousands of young Europeans leave their comfort zones behind, cross borders, and immerse themselves in communities that are not their own. They cook unfamiliar meals, forge unexpected friendships, and return home changed in ways they struggle to put into words. The European Solidarity Corps Participation Awards exist precisely to give those words, or rather, those images, a stage.
What Are the Participation Awards?
The European Solidarity Corps Participation Awards are designed to showcase the work that young volunteers are doing abroad through European Solidarity Corps projects. Organised by the European Youth Card Association (EYCA) in partnership with the European Commission, the initiative is both a celebration and an invitation: a chance for volunteers to share their stories and, in doing so, inspire the next generation to take the leap themselves.
The 2026 edition is powered by EYCA and the European Commission as part of the European Solidarity Corps Programme. It is not simply about acknowledging what volunteers have done, but about amplifying it, making their experiences visible, relatable, and contagious.
How to Enter
The format for 2026 is refreshingly straightforward. Participants are asked to
- create a one-minute video about their volunteering experience,
- upload it to YouTube Shorts in vertical format, and then
- submit their application through the participation page.
The brevity of the format is, in many ways, the point: sixty seconds is enough to convey a feeling, a moment, a transformation.
Submissions opened on 13 April 2026, with a deadline of 18 May 2026 at 23:59 CEST. Winners will be announced during the week of 15 June 2026.
The Judging Process
Ten winners will be selected by a jury comprising a representative from the European Commission, a member of the EYCA Youth Panel, and a representative from EYCA. The jury will be looking at three key dimensions: creativity (how well the video reflects the volunteer’s personality and story), the strength of the message conveyed, and audience engagement, meaning that views and likes on the submitted video do count towards the final assessment.
The Prize: Brussels Awaits
This year, rather than a prize to take home, the award offers something to live: an experience in the heart of Europe. All ten winners will be invited on an all-expenses-paid round trip to Brussels from 23 to 27 September 2026.
Everything is covered:
- round-trip travel,
- accommodation,
- meals,
- local transport, and
- a full programme of activities.
The itinerary includes visits to EU institutions, an exploration of the Parlamentarium, cultural activities, and the opportunity to meet and connect with the other nine winners. It is, in essence, a gathering of people who have all undergone something similar, brought together in the city that sits at the very centre of the European project.
The European Youth Card
There is an additional benefit for all volunteers participating in the European Solidarity Corps, regardless of whether they enter the awards. Every young person volunteering abroad with the European Solidarity Corps receives a special edition of the European Youth Card as a gesture of thanks from both the EU and EYCA. The card provides access to over 20,000 discounts and benefits across more than 30 countries, covering travel, culture, accommodation, transport, shopping, sports, and much more.
Submit Your Story Before 18 May
If you have volunteered abroad with the European Solidarity Corps, you have until 18 May 2026 to enter. Film your one minute, upload it, and share it. Ten winners will travel to Brussels in September. One of them could be you.
Head to volunteer-awards.eyca.org and submit your video today.