RULES FOR PARTICIPATION

Article 1 – General terms

The purpose of the Award is to recognise outstanding farming projects characterised by innovation, sustainability and market orientation. The Award aims to identify and showcase best practice examples, foster the exchange of knowledge and innovative ideas among young farmers across Europe, and thereby strengthen the visibility and recognition of young farmers and their contribution to society.

Article 2 – Award Categories

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

  • Resource Efficiency Award: for demonstrating innovative approaches that use resources more efficiently, reduce inputs and contribute to more sustainable and profitable farming.
  • Digital Innovation in Agriculture Award: for applying innovative digital technologies, including precision farming solutions, to enhance connectivity and improve farm performance.
  • Farm Diversification & Business Innovation Award: for developing new business models that create additional income, strengthen farm resilience and bring added value to rural areas.

Each applicant may indicate in the application form one or more categories under which they wish to compete. Where an applicant indicates more than one category, or where the category indicated by the applicant is deemed unsuitable based on the established award criteria (Art. 2) and the eligibility and evaluation criteria (Art. 3), the final allocation of the application to a single category shall be determined at the discretion of the external evaluation agency.

The winners in each category will receive a € 5.000 prize, along with EU-level communication and publicity support to increase the visibility of their projects and showcase them as outstanding examples of best practice.

Article 3 – Eligibility and evaluation criteria

3.1. Eligibility of candidates

The Award, organised by the EPP Group of the European Parliament, is open to all European young farmers under the age of 40 and projects related to agriculture.

Each Member State may be represented by a maximum of one project in the Award.

3.2. Eligibility of projects

The projects will be assessed based on the following evaluation criteria:

3.2.1. Innovation

Applicant projects should cover one or more of the following sub-criteria:

  • Use of know-how, new methods or new forms of technology in a particular sector or region;
  • new digital or network solutions;
  • use biotechnology, smart agriculture, machinery as a solution to adaptation to climate change;
  • new forms of production, processing, packaging, labelling, distribution, consumption and/or disposing of food;
  • start-ups and entrepreneurship in the food sector;
  • social entrepreneurship;
  • innovative approaches to engage different actors across the food value chain – citizens, consumers, NGOs, farmers, food companies, supermarkets, restaurants, public institutions, research centres, universities, etc.;
  • improved ways for food product transparency and traceability;
  • new ways of learning and sharing of knowledge and information.
  • Application of innovative solutions towards resource efficiency

3.2.2. Sustainability

Applicant projects should cover one or more of the following sub-criteria:

  • Contribution to building vibrant rural areas and sustainable rural employment (e.g. agro, eco- tourism, etc.);
  • generational renewal on the farm;
  • involvement of vulnerable and marginalised groups in the local community;
  • building partnerships through cooperation to improve farmers’ capacities, including their technical, managerial, organisational and marketing skills;
  • agri-environmental practices in farming for eco-system preservation;
  • responsible forestry management;
  • sustainable water management including irrigation efficiency, water quality, and reduced nutrient runoff;
  • climate adaptation and building resilience to changing climate conditions with nature-based solutions;
  • improved plant health with responsible pest management;
  • improved animal health and welfare, incl. responsible use of antibiotics to decrease the risk of AMR;
  • tackling food loss and food waste through “circular economy”;
  • improve productivity while minimising waste, costs and environmental impact.

3.2.3 Impact and Scalability

Applicant projects will be assessed as a single measure of their real-world value and should cover one or more of the following sub-criteria:

  • Clear and measurable results or benefits for a defined target group or area;
  • evidence that the results are real and verifiable (data, indicators, or demonstrated outcomes);
  • realistic and credible delivery, with the resources, partners and planning needed to succeed;
  • potential to be replicated or transferred to other regions, sectors or contexts;
  • potential to be scaled up to achieve wider or longer-term impact;
  • a clear pathway to wider uptake or adoption by others.

Article 4 – Application Form

4.1. Eligibility of applications

Only projects, using the valid application form and complying with the procedures laid down in this article shall be considered. All received applications that do not comply with the requirements of Article 3 will be considered not valid and will therefore be ineligible for the Award.

4.2. Structure of the application form

Interested candidates, at national level shall fill the online application form, and send by email the accompanying information in English:

Applicant details of the young farmer presenting the application (online application form):

  • Full name of the young farmer;
  • contact details (phone and email);
  • date of birth;
  • country and region;
  • short description the farming business and motivation for farming.

Project identification and supporting materials (online application form):

  • Project name;
  • category under which the project will compete;
  • name of the MEP Ambassador, supporting the project;
  • project stage (planned, ongoing, completed).
  • Consent to the processing of personal data under GDPR rules.
  • Declaration that the information provided is true and complete and that any false information will lead to an immediate disqualification.

The following two items need to be handed in by email to conclude the application:

  • A short video (max. 2 minutes) showcasing your project.
  • A written summary of the project (max. 1400 words) that explicitly address Art. 3.2 (Eligibility of projects) of the award regulation, covering:
    • Innovation — what makes the project innovative?
    • Sustainability — what is its environmental, social, and/or economic impact?
    • Scalability — how could it be scaled up or replicated?

Candidates are encouraged to provide additional material to support their project, such as photos, brochures, articles in newspapers, project website, app, social media, etc.

4.3. Receipt of applications

All application dossiers must be submitted online and by e-mail before midday, 19 October 2026 to the following email.

Email: mikel.lopez@schuttelaar-partners.com and Johanna.thoeni@ep.europa.eu

No documents received after this deadline will be accepted.

Article 5 – Project selection

5.1 Project selection procedure

The winners of the Award shall be determined on the basis of a combined evaluation comprising:

  • 80% of the final score, awarded by the external jury referred to in Article 5.2.2, in accordance with the evaluation procedure set out in Article 5.2.3; and
  • 20% of the final score, awarded through a public vote conducted during the Congress.

The public voting procedure shall be established and administered by the external evaluation agency. The procedure shall ensure fairness, transparency, equal treatment of all competing projects, a balanced geographical representation of votes, and the prevention of fraud, duplicate voting, or any other form of manipulation.

The final ranking of the projects shall be established by combining the scores resulting from the jury evaluation and the public vote in accordance with the weighting set out in paragraph 1. The project obtaining the highest overall score in each Award category shall be designated as the winner.

5.2. External evaluation agency

The Congress MEP Organisers will designate an external evaluation agency to carry out the preliminary examination of all received project applications and to make a list of all eligible entries, based on the eligibility criteria defined in Art. 3 and Art. 4.

The external evaluation agency has the following responsibilities:

  • Guarantee that all applications, transmitted to the Jury fully comply with the eligibility criteria.
  • Establish a short-list of selected projects based on a preassessment according to the established categories (Art 2) and Criteria (Art (3.2) to be presented to the Jury for evaluation;
  • Assists the Jury in its deliberations during the selection process.
  • Develop the public voting procedure, in accordance with the requirements set out in Article 5.1. The external evaluation agency reserves the right to verify, in situ, the achievements indicated by the candidates, and ask, if necessary for additional information.

5.3. The Jury

5.3.1. Role

The Jury is entrusted to decide on the attribution of the Awards as indicated in Art. 2. It shall meet in accordance with the established calendar, in Brussels, to choose the Prize-winners from the shortlist prepared by the external evaluation agency.

5.3.2. Composition

Chair: Daniel Buda – MEP and Vice-Chair of the AGRI Committee in the European Parliament (President of the Jury)

Members:

  • Maxi Espeter – Cabinet of Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen, European Commission
  • Jurgen Tack – Secretary General, ELO – European Landowners’ Organization
  • Elli Tsiforou – Secretary General, COPA-COGECA
  • Séamus Boland – President, European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

5.2.3. Jury deliberations and designation of the winners

Based on a preliminary examination and selection, carried out by the external consultant, the Jury will analyse the short-listed candidates and decide on the winners in one or more of the categories, as presented in Art. 2. The Jury’s decisions shall not be subject to appeal and shall be taken on the basis of a simple majority of votes. In the case of a draw, the Chair of the Jury will take the final decision. The Jury will be assisted in its deliberations by the external evaluation agency, acting as an observer without voting rights.

Article 6 – Award Ceremony

The award ceremony will take place at the European Parliament in Brussels on 18 November 2026, as part of the Congress.

Article 7 – Communication and media coverage of the Award-winner(s)

The results of the Award will be widely publicised. Information will be communicated at EU level by the European Parliament and at Member State level by the MEP Ambassador and the partnering organisation, using all available media and public relations channels.

Article 8 – Concluding remarks

Participation in the Award entails compliance with and acceptance by the candidates of the current rules for participation, in the various phases and during the official award ceremony.