Deadline: 15 June 2018

The European Commission is seeking applications for “EU Health Award” to recognize initiatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that contributed or are contributing to a higher level of public health in the European Union by working to prevent tobacco use.

The general objectives of the Programme shall be to complement, support and add value to the policies of the Member States to improve the health of Union citizens and reduce health inequalities by promoting health, encouraging innovation in health, increasing the sustainability of health systems and protecting Union citizens from serious crossborder health threats.

The call for applications is open to initiatives that work to achieve a higher level of public health for EU citizens, in particular through actions aimed at avoiding tobacco use initiation among adolescents and young adults.

Prize Information

The winner of the competition and the two runners-up will receive:

• 1st prize: EUR 20 000
• 2nd prize: EUR 15 000
• 3rd prize: EUR 10 000

Types of Initiatives

The type of initiatives that could be submitted includes but is not limited to:

• Awareness and information strategies for effective community change, including school programmes and /or involvement of parents.
• Social media and networks counter-advertising campaigns to prevent smoking initiation in the concerned age group(s).
• Promoting tobacco free norms targeted at adolescents and young adults.
• Supporting the successful implementation of EU and national tobacco control legislation.
• Interventions designed to reduce the accessibility of tobacco products (cigarettes, water pipe, chewing tobacco and others) to the age groups concerned.
• Engaging with health care professionals to strengthen education/medical curricula/training aimed to reduce tobacco use initiation by the targeted group(s).
• Developing initiatives addressing social factors with the aim of discouraging tobacco consumption in the concerned aged group(s).
• Interventions demonstrating potential synergies across the prevention areas mentioned above.
• Other innovative approaches not mentioned above that successfully help reduce smoking initiation.

Eligibility Criteria

• The applicant must be a legally established non-governmental body that is non-profit-making and independent from industry, commercial and business or other conflicting interests.
• The applicant must act at European, national or sub-national level.
• Only applications from entities established in one the following countries are eligible:
  • EU Member States
  • Iceland and Norway
  • Countries which have a bilateral agreement with the European Union, in accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EU) No 282/2014 on the establishment of a third Health Programme for the Union’s action in the field of health (2014-2020). Currently Serbia, Moldova and Bosnia-Herzegovina have a bilateral agreement with the European Union. Please check the Commission website for an updated list of countries.
• Only applications from a single applicant i.e. one legal entity, are acceptable (with or without partners).
• The applicant must clearly address one of the topics listed in the call for applications.
• The application must be submitted before the deadline.
• The application is submitted using the application form from the EU Health Award page of the Public Health Website, accessible via the submission page.
• The application must be complete: compulsory fields of the application form are filled out. Rules are explained in the questionnaire.
• Applications may be submitted in any official language of the European Union. However, in order to facilitate assessment by the evaluators, an English translation should accompany the text written in another EU official language.

How to Apply

Applicants can apply online via given website.

Eligible Countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Iceland, Serbia and Norway