The European Competition is a student competition in which students of all ages submit creative, artistic, or written pieces of work on the activities of the European Union . Tendered by European Movement Germany , it is the oldest student competition in Germany . It was first launched as an essay competition in North Rhine-Westphalia in 1953. Only one year later, all other German federal states joined the initiative. The contest is one of the earliest transnational projects on civic education. Today, it is implemented in about fifteen countries.
9-546: Each year, an average of 75,000 students take part in the contest. The topics are determined by four modules which are broken down by age and oriented towards the theme of the European Year , launched annually by the European Union. The requirements demand that all submitted pieces of work account for a European perspective. Societal, economic, political, and cultural aspects are central to the competition. However,
18-969: The German Foreign Office . It is also supported by the Kultusministerkonferenz, the Ministries of Culture and Education as well as the Senate Administrations of the German federal states, and the Federal Press Office [ de ] . In order to support transnational collaboration between pupils, a new online branch of the European Competition was established in 2012 by cooperating with eTwinning . School classes from different European countries can work collaboratively on
27-535: The Council of the European Union have chosen an annual theme of action each year, based on a European Commission proposal. European Years are an awareness campaign to educate European citizens and attract the attention of national governments of Member States to a particular issue, in order to change attitudes and behaviours at both the national and European level. This article about the European Union
36-455: The Kultusministerkonferenz. As a themed competition that is addressed towards all age groups and types of school the European Competition stimulates an in-depth engagement with European topics and questions. The contest directs the students’ – but also the teachers’ – perception towards the European dimension of diverse subject-matters and teaching contents. Task and methodology offer teachers
45-718: The best works to a national jury. This committee usually convenes in March and publishes the list of laureates in April. The prizes are awarded in the federal states, often arranged around the Europe Days in May. In 2009, the European Competition was remodelled in terms of content and structure. Key points of the new concept: The European Competition is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and
54-505: The contest aims at contributing to the creation of a European awareness. Another goal is to enable young people to actively perform their future role as citizens of the European Union . From the beginning of the school year in August or September until the following February, entries to the competition can be prepared and submitted. Subsequently, they are presented to a jury in the respective federal state, which may award prices and recommends
63-463: The possibility to explore the European dimension of various subject-matters during class sessions. The themes as set out in the modules indicate where European dynamics become effective and where European decisions are required. They furthermore illustrate that in many cases only collective action can lead to a success. Through the students’ independent and creative engagement with common values, aims, challenges, and possibilities of European integration ,
72-607: The tasks of the Competition. The project kits are adapted to the different age groups and to the specific work conditions in the TwinSpace. European Year Every year, the European Union chooses to address a subject in order to encourage debate and dialogue within and between member states raising the awareness of European citizens to a specific problem. Beginning in 1983, the European Parliament and
81-411: The way in which the topics are dealt with is up to the contestants. The Kultusministerkonferenz , a voluntary consortium of the German federal education ministers, appoints a governing committee that establishes the guidelines of the competition. Being a proven instrument of practical education, the European Competition enables German schools to fulfil their European educational mandate as set out by
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