Three youth-led projects from Estonia, France and Spain have been named the European winners of the 2026 Charlemagne Youth Prize at a ceremony in Aachen.
The first prize went to ATHENA — Advancing Women's Leadership in Inclusive Democracy, an Estonian project supporting young women’s participation and leadership in democratic life, the European Parliament announced on Tuesday.
ATHENA works with girls and women aged 16 to 26, helping them build skills, confidence and networks to take part in civic life and public decision-making. The first prize is worth €7,500.
Second prize was awarded to Pol, a French political engagement app that allows users to vote on bills being examined by the French National Assembly and take part in opinion polls. The second prize is €5,000.
Pol is aimed at young people and is designed to make legislative processes easier to understand, while also addressing misinformation through “fact-based contextualisation.”
Spain’s European Guanxi takes third prize
Third prize went to European Guanxi, a network founded in Spain to strengthen informed European analysis on China and EU-China relations, the European Parliament said. The third prize is €2,500.
The European Charlemagne Youth Prize is jointly awarded by the European Parliament and the Foundation for the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen and is open to initiatives led by young people aged 16 to 30 with what organisers describe as a strong EU dimension.
More than 7,600 projects have competed for the prize since 2008.
