European Economic
and Social Committee
RULES GOVERNING THE 16th EESC CIVIL SOCIETY PRIZE
RULES GOVERNING THE 16th EESC CIVIL SOCIETY PRIZE
Rewarding excellence in civil society initiatives
1. Aim and overall objective of the Civil Society Prize
The aim of the prize, which is awarded by the European Economic and Social Committee (the "EESC" or the "Committee"), is to reward and encourage initiatives by natural persons (i.e. individuals) and/or private law bodies (i.e. civil society organisations etc.) that have made a significant contribution to promoting the European identity, European values and European integration.
2. Theme of the 16th EESC Civil Society Prize: Combating poverty in the EU
Around 92.7 million people (20.9% of the overall EU population) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2025. People living in households with dependent children, women, young adults aged 18-24, people with a low level of education, , as well as unemployed people, migrants and ethnic minorities are among those most at risk of poverty. Geography also plays a role: communities in remote rural or deindustrialised areas often face higher poverty and fewer opportunities. In-work poverty remains a pressing concern too: about 1 in 10 workers in Europe struggle to make ends meet despite being employed. In particular people in precarious employment – including involuntary part-time workers and employees with temporary contracts – suffer from material and social deprivation.
Poverty in Europe is a structural, persistent problem and is often intergenerational: children raised in poverty have a much higher chance of being poor in adulthood, perpetuating a vicious cycle of disadvantage. This grim situation is exacerbated by recent multiple, overlapping crises. The COVID-19 pandemic, energy price shocks, inflation and the cost-of-living crisis further driven by the war in Ukraine have eroded households’ purchasing power and pushed vulnerable people deeper into hardship. The housing crisis, in particular, has emerged as an acute threat to living standards – homelessness is on the rise and now increasingly affects working people too.
Poverty is not just about low income. It often results in material deprivation, such as the inability to afford adequate food, heating or housing. It can also mean lack of access to quality education andhealthcare, lack of social and political participation, insecurity, discrimination and social exclusion. For this reason, combating poverty requires a holistic approach which tackles not only the consequences of poverty, but also the risk factors.
Accordingly, the aim of the first-ever European Union's Anti-Poverty Strategy - Addressing and preventing poverty from childhood to old age published on 6 May 2026 is "helping people to access, essential protections and services they need and addressing the root causes of poverty". The EESC has called for a comprehensive and ambitious European Anti-Poverty Strategy with measures that span across different policy domains such as employment, education, social protection, health, housing, energy, digital inclusion. In its recent opinions (notably on the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, the New Action Plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Loss of purchasing power/inequalities, exclusion, marginalisation), the EESC has outlined a series of policy recommendations and priority actions to effectively reduce poverty across Europe, while poverty eradication and the EESC involvement in the implementation of the EU anti-poverty strategy are key priorities in EESC President Boland's work programme.
Crucially, the people affected by poverty should be actively involved in conceiving, implementing and evaluating anti-poverty policies. As the EESC has observed, those who experience poverty firsthand have invaluable insights into what works and what does not. Their meaningful participation ensures a bottom-up, inclusive approach and helps combat stigma.
The EESC also underlines the importance of addressing poverty’s gender dimension and intersectionality – for example, tackling the factors that lead to a higher risk of poverty for women (such as pay gaps, career breaks for care duties, single motherhood, or inadequate pensions) – and collecting disaggregated data to better understand how poverty affects different groups (including people with disabilities, migrants, ethnic minorities, etc.). Only a comprehensive strategy rooted in social rights, equality and inclusion can break the cycle of poverty in a sustainable way.
For the EESC, poverty is "an avoidable violation of fundamental rights" and poverty reduction is a joint effort. Alongside public authorities, also employers, private companies, trade unions and civil society have an important part in creating a fair and inclusive society without poverty. Macroeconomic policies oriented towards job creation, investments in innovation and regional development, education and training systems that equip people with skills for quality jobs play a crucial role. Public services address citizens’ basic needs, contributing to their well-being and social cohesion. High-quality, affordable and accessible public services are also crucial to help mitigate the impact of cost-of-living increases. Enterprises – from large companies to SMEs to micro enterprises in disadvantaged and remote areas – are also transformative actors in poverty alleviation: productivity-enhancing and employment-generating strategies, upskilling of people far from the labour market and adequate wage policies are a key factor to tackle poverty, while successful economic competitiveness and growth agendas can support efforts to alleviate poverty by creating quality jobs and resources for the benefit of all. Civil society is also at the forefront in fighting poverty: charities, food banks, churches, foundations, community groups often work on the front lines to support those in need – providing food, shelter, counselling, legal aid, and many other services. They also act as the voice of the voiceless, advocating for policy change and drawing attention to new forms of poverty or social exclusion. Social economy actors such as cooperatives and social enterprises play a key role by providing assistance to those in need and job opportunities to the long-term unemployed and those far from the labour market, thus contributing to an inclusive employment strategy.
The EESC firmly believes that by harnessing Europe’s economic strength, knowledge, and civic spirit, poverty can be drastically reduced and eventually eliminated. For this reason, the EESC has decided to award its 16th Civil Society Prize to non-profit initiatives which effectively combat poverty. Through this prize, the Committee wants to encourage and reward innovative, impactful projects that uphold the fundamental right to a life in dignity, projects that demonstrate solidarity with those in need and empower them to build a better future. By showcasing such initiatives, the EESC also aims to highlight how a rights-based, inclusive and participatory approach can deliver concrete results in the fight against poverty – fostering shared prosperity, social cohesion and a Europe that truly leaves no one behind.
3. Eligibility
3.1 Eligible candidates
The EESC Civil Society Prize is open on equal terms to all natural persons (individuals) and private law bodies (civil society organisations, companies etc.) under the conditions set out below. Public authorities, governmental organisations and other public bodies are not eligible.
The EESC encourages candidates to propose for the prize also traditionally less represented categories of projects such as private-sector-driven initiatives and initiatives implemented by individuals.
1) Natural persons
For the purposes of this prize, natural persons are individuals or groups of individuals acting jointly without contractual ties. EU citizens are eligible, regardless of their country of residence. Third-country nationals are also eligible, provided they are legally resident in the territory of the EU. Groups of individuals must designate one of the natural persons as a point of contact (the leader) for the administrative and financial aspects of the prize.
EESC members and alternate members, CCMI delegates, staff of EU institutions and other EU bodies, members of the evaluation committee and their relatives, are not eligible to submit an entry.
2) Private law bodies
Civil society organisations (hereafter: "CSOs") officially registered within the European Union and acting at local, national, regional or European level are eligible. For the purposes of this prize, CSOs as defined in the EESC opinion on The role and contribution of civil society organisations in the building of Europe are "organisational structures whose members have objectives and responsibilities that are of general interest and who also act as mediators between the public authorities and citizens". They are actively involved in shaping public affairs on the basis of their own concerns, drawing on their own specific knowledge, abilities and scope for action. They act autonomously, and membership entails a commitment by members of the general public to take part in the work and activities of those organisations. This definition includes the so-called labour-market players, i.e. the social partners, organisations representing social and economic players, non-governmental organisations which bring people together in a common cause, such as environmental organisations, human rights organisations, consumer associations, charitable organisations, cultural organisations, and educational and training organisations, etc.; community-based organisations, i.e. organisations set up within society at grassroots level which pursue member-oriented objectives, e.g. youth organisations, family associations and all organisations through which citizens participate in local and municipal life; religious communities. CSOs set up by a legislative or regulatory act and/or to which affiliation is partially or totally mandatory (e.g. professional associations), are also eligible.
Companies or firms: For the purposes of this prize, "companies or firms" means profit-making entities constituted under civil or commercial law, including cooperative societies and other legal persons governed by private law. Companies or firms are eligible if they are formed in accordance with the law of a Member State and have their registered office, central administration or principal place of business on the territory of the EU. Eligibility of firms/companies is limited to their not-for-profitactivities such as selfless initiatives, charity projects, individual or corporate volunteering etc.
3.2 Eligible initiatives
3.2.1 Formal eligibility criteria
To be eligible, initiatives must fulfil the four criteria listed hereafter:
• they must be not-for-profit, such as selfless initiatives, charity projects, individual or corporate volunteering etc.;
• they must have already been implemented or be still ongoing on 6 November 2026 (closing date for submission of applications);
• they must fulfil the thematic eligibility criteria set out below;
• they must be carried out on the territory of the EU.
The following initiatives are excluded:
• commercial (i.e. for-profit) initiatives;
• initiatives which are planned but have not begun implementation by 6 November 2026 (closing date for submission of applications);
• documentation and/or information activities, journalistic, literary or scientific publications of any kind and in any format, audio-visual products, and any kind of artwork.
3.2.2 Thematic eligibility criteria
The specific objective of the 16th EESC Civil Society Prize is to reward innovative and creative non-for-profit initiatives/activities carried out in the EU, which effectively combat poverty – by alleviating the consequences of material deprivation, by improving the economic and social inclusion of people living in poverty and by creating an enabling environment that prevents and protects against poverty.
The activities/initiatives proposed for the prize can cover a wide range of themes, such as for example the following (non-exhaustive list):
• providing adequate income and social protection;
• ensuring universal access to affordable high quality social and essential services;
• offering adequate education opportunities, incl. upskilling, re-skilling and life-long learning;
• tackling poverty through productivity-enhancing and employment-generating strategies, incl. SME and socialenterprises projects – that create quality local jobs in disadvantaged regions;
• implementing enterpriseled initiatives on inclusive recruitment and inclusive business models;
• combating in-work poverty by promoting active labour market policies, social dialogue and quality jobs – with sustainable employment, fair wages and decent working conditions;
• implementing corporate volunteering projects and other private-sector-driven non-profit initiatives aimed at fighting poverty;
• creating partnerships between enterprises, social partners and civil society to tackle poverty;
• implementing measures to tackle energy poverty and the increasing cost of living;
• alleviating the consequences of material deprivation, incl. on physical health and mental wellbeing; countering psycho-social risks connected to poverty;
• tackling homelessness and providing affordable and decent housing; addressing the criminalisation homelessness and poverty;
• combating financial exclusion and over-indebtedness;
• improving cooperation with public authorities in the field of poverty;
• ensuring the involvement of people experiencing poverty in designing solutions; ensuring their independence and right to advocacy;
• amplifying the collective voice of people experiencing poverty in co-shaping policy, in accordance with the principle of co-creation by citizens and their organisations;
• ensuring affordability, accessibility and quality, particularly for vulnerable groups, as well as their right to advocacy;
• addressing specific needs of groups at risk, such as children, people with low qualifications, large families, single parents, female workers; people re-entering the labour market, old people, people with disabilities, migrants, ethnic minorities; people living in remote areas etc.
• combating discrimination based on the socio-economic status, stigma and unequal treatment;
• addressing intersectional poverty and specific vulnerabilities.
4. Application procedure and deadline
Applications are to be made by filling in the online application form available also via the EESC website (https://www.eesc.europa.eu/16th-eesc-civil-society-prize). In duly justified cases linked to documented technical problems, the EESC may allow candidates to apply by email or post.
The application must contain all the information the selection board requires in order to:
• ascertain that the candidate fulfils the formal entry criteria;
• ascertain that the candidate complies with the non-exclusion criteria;
• ascertain that the candidate accepts the provisions concerning liability, checks, audits and applicable law;
• evaluate the substantive merits of each entry in relation to the award criteria.
Before the prize is awarded, the EESC will ask candidates to provide the duly completed and signed Legal Entity Form and Financial Identification Form, as well as the relevant supporting documents. These forms are available at:
https://commission.europa.eu/publications/business-partners-legal-entities-and-bank-accounts_en.
Applications can be drafted in any official EU language. However, to speed up the evaluation process, the EESC would appreciate receiving the application form in English or French.
Submission of an application implies acceptance of all the terms and conditions set out in the contest documents and, where appropriate, the waiver of the candidate's own general or specific terms and conditions.
The final deadline for sending applications is 6 November 2026, at 10:00 (CET).
The EESC will disregard any application received after this date and time. Candidates are strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit their applications, since heavy internet traffic or a faulty internet connection could lead to difficulties in sending in the application. The EESC cannot be held responsible for any delay due to such difficulties.
Candidates can only submit one entry. Entering the competition is free of charge. If preparing and sending the application entails costs for a specific candidate, these will not be reimbursed.
Candidates will see a message on the screen thanking them for the application and offering them the possibility of printing it or saving it in PDF format.
5. Evaluation and award
5.1 Evaluation steps
The evaluation will be carried out by a panel of experts composed of 10 members (the "evaluation committee"), who are subject to the requirements on conflict of interests laid down in the Financial Regulation. The evaluation will be based solely on the information provided in the submitted application form.
The EESC reserves the right not to disclose the identity of the members of the evaluation committee.
Participants should not contact the members of the evaluation committee for any reason related to the prize throughout the whole procedure. Any such attempt will result in disqualification.
The decisions of the evaluation committee are final, binding and not subject to challenge.
The procedure will take place in five steps:
(1) verification of eligibility of candidates;
(2) verification of eligibility of the initiatives proposed for the prize;
(3) verification of non-exclusion of candidates;
(4) evaluation of the quality of the initiatives proposed for the prize on the basis of the award criteria;
(5) award of the prize.
The EESC will assess eligibility, non-exclusion and quality in no particular order. The applicants must pass all steps to be awarded the prize. No feedback will be provided to candidates until the end of the procedure. Results will be notified to all candidates as soon as possible, and in any case within 15 calendar days after the award decision has been taken by the authorising officer (step 5), provisionally by the end of March 2027.
5.1.1 Verification of eligibility of candidates
To be eligible, candidates must fulfil the requirements of point 3.1 above.
The EESC will evaluate the eligibility of candidates on the basis of the information provided in the application form. Before awarding the prize, it will ask the candidates to provide a duly completed and signed Legal Entity Form with its supporting evidence (see point 4 above).
The EESC reserves the right to require the above-mentioned form and supporting evidence from any candidate at any time during the evaluation procedure. In this case, the candidate must provide the form and the supporting evidence without delay. The EESC may reject the application if the form and the supporting evidence are not provided in due time.
5.1.2 Verification of eligibility of initiatives
Eligibility of the initiatives proposed for the prize will be checked on the basis of the online application form. To be eligible, the initiatives proposed for the prize must fulfil the requirements of point 3.2 above. Other activities carried out by the candidate will not be taken into consideration.
5.1.3 Verification of non-exclusion
Compliance of the candidates with the non-exclusion criteria referred to in Articles 138 and 143 of the Financial Regulation and listed in the application documents (see Non-exclusion Document, Appendix 1) will be checked on the basis of the online application form.
The EESC reserves the right to verify whether the candidates are in one of the situations of exclusion by requiring to submit supporting documents. In this case, the candidate must provide the documents required within the deadline given by the EESC. The EESC may reject the application if the requested documents are not provided in due time.
Candidates are not required to submit a specific document if they inform the EESC that the document in question can be accessed on a public database free of charge.
5.1.4 Evaluation of quality
The evaluation committee will assess the quality of the applications on the basis of the award criteria set out below. The evaluators will only consider the initiatives proposed for the prize, not the candidate's other activities. There is no minimum threshold for each individual criterion. However, candidates that fail to obtain at least 50% of the maximum total score will be eliminated.
Prize award criteria | Points |
Criterion 1 – Impact This criterion will assess both the concrete results and impact of the proposed initiative, its strategy to scale the impact, its potential to have a long-term impact and its long-term viability. In this context, the impact will be evaluated in light of the human and financial resources employed to implement the proposed initiative. | 35 points |
Criterion 2 – Participation and collaboration This criterion will assess, on the one hand, how far the proposed initiative actively involves participants and beneficiaries and, on the other hand, its ability to share good practice and raise awareness on issues related to the theme for which the civil society prize is awarded. | 30 points |
Criterion 3 – Intersectionality This criterion will assess how far the proposed initiative takes into account the interaction and cumulative effect of multiple factors leading to poverty to prevent or tackle poverty in a people-centred, targeted and comprehensive way. In this context, the multi-stakeholder approach with other relevant actors will also be taken into consideration. | 10 points |
Criterion 4 – Innovation, creativity and adaptability This criterion will assess the creativity of the proposed initiative, its uniqueness and degree of innovation in its specific context. To this end, innovation is understood to mean both new ideas and new or improved ways to implement an existing solution or approach or to adapt it to a different context or target group. This criterion will also assess the potential of the proposed initiative to inspire others in Europe, i.e. to be applied or adapted to the same category of beneficiaries or to another category of beneficiaries elsewhere in the same or in another Member State of the EU. | 25 points |
Total points | 100 points |
5.1.5 Award of the prize
The prize will be awarded by the Committee, on the basis of the evaluation provided by the evaluation committee, who will be free to decide whether to recommend that prizes be awarded, depending on their appraisal of the quality of the entries.
The EESC may award a maximum of three prizes to the three top-ranked candidates.
6. Prize money
The Committee plans to award a maximum of three prizes. The first prize has a value of EUR 12 000. The second and third prize have a value resp. of 10 000 and 8 000. If place one is shared among more than one winner ex aequo, the amount of each of the first prizes is respectively EUR 11 000 for two first prizes, EUR 10 000 for three first prizes. If place two is shared among two winners ex aequo, the amount of the second and third prize is 9 000. The Committee is not bound to award all three prizes. The EESC may decide not to award the Civil Society Prize.
The prize award ceremony is likely to take place during the EESC Civil Society Week expected to take place in spring 2027. Up to two representatives per winner will be invited to the ceremony, with travel and accommodation organised by the EESC according to the rules which will be notified to winners in due time. In addition to this, up to two representatives per winner may be invited to take part in a debate on poverty during a subsequent plenary session or poverty-related events/conferences organised by the EESC.
Prizes will be paid by bank transfer within 30 days of the award ceremony, provided that the winners have submitted all the requested documents. Winners are responsible for the payment of taxes and charges applicable when using the prize money.
7. Personal data
Personal data contained in the application documents (such as name and address) will be processed pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data. Unless indicated otherwise, the replies to the questions and any personal data requested to evaluate the application in accordance with the contest rules will be processed solely for that purpose by the Directorate for Communication and Interinstitutional Relations. Details concerning the processing of personal data are attached (Appendix 2).
The candidate's personal data may be registered in the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) if the candidate is in one of the situations mentioned in Article 138 of the Financial Regulation. For more information, see the Privacy Statement on http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm
8. Disclosure requirements
Without prejudice to point 7 above, candidates grant the EESC the right to communicate to the public,in any language, in any format and using any kind of technique, the name of the candidates, the activities proposed for the prize and the amount of the prizes awarded to the winners.
Any communication or publication by the winners about the activity for which the prize was awarded must indicate that the activity has been awarded the EESC Civil Society Prize. This obligation applies for one year from the date of the awarding of the prize.
9. Liability
Candidates have sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the prize.
10. Checks and audits
The winners must accept the checks and audits by the EESC, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the Court of Auditors referred to in Article 129 of the Financial Regulation and the publicity obligations in relation to the contest and the received prize, as detailed in point 8 above.
11. Law applicable, complaints and competent court
The Civil Society Prize is governed by EU law, complemented, where necessary, by the national law of Belgium.
Observations concerning the prize award procedure may be submitted to the authority awarding the prize using the contact details indicated in point 13 below.
If candidates believe that maladministration has occurred, they may lodge a complaint with the European Ombudsman within two years of the date when they become aware of the facts which form the basis for the complaint (see http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu).
The court responsible for matters relating to this prize is the General Court of the European Union:
General Court of the European Union
Rue du Fort Niedergrünewald
L-2925 Luxembourg
Tel.: +352 43031
Fax.: +352 4303 2100
Information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained at the address indicated above.
12. Penalties
Financial penalties of 2 to 10% of the value of the prize and exclusion decisions from all contracts, grants and contests financed by the EU budget may be imposed on participants who have made false declarations, or committed irregularities or fraud, in accordance with the conditions laid down in Article 140 of the Financial Regulation.
13. Further information
For more information, please contact: civilsocietyprize@eesc.europa.eu
If relevant to other potential candidates, questions and answers will be published on the Civil Society Prize page of the EESC website. The EESC recommends that candidates check the prize website regularly in order to get the most up-to-date information.
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