20th Edition of the “Young Andalusians Building Europe” School Award (JACE 2026)

The European Information Network of Andalusia announces the20th edition of the “Young Andalusians Building Europe” School Award (JACE 2026), an initiative aimed at fostering knowledge of the European Union and promoting the European dimension in Andalusian education, encouraging critical thinking, creativity and teamwork among students.

The award is open to educational centres in Andalusia, with the collective participation of students in the 4th year of ESO, 1st year of Bachillerato and/or 1st year of Intermediate Vocational Training, aged between 15 and 18 on 31 December 2026. Each participating group must consist of a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 22 people, including one or two teachers, who will act as leaders and supervisors of the work, without participating in the final performance.

The aim of the competition is for students to develop a creative staging project on a topic related to the European Union. These topics will be assigned by the Europe Direct Centre in each province or, in the case of Granada and Jaén, by the General Secretariat for External Action and the European Union of the Regional Government of Andalusia. The proposed topics include, among others, European citizenship, the European Green Deal, the future of the EU, education and youth in Europe, and digital Europe.

The competition will take place in two phases.

First phase: Provincial Selection

The first phase, at the provincial level, will consist of selecting the proposals submitted via an application form, which must detail the content of the project, the organisation of the group, the resources to be used, the link to the assigned European theme and the educational centre’s commitment to disseminating the project. The deadline for submitting applications is from 12 January to 13 February 2026.

Second phase: Final Meeting

The second phase will bring together all the finalist centres in a face-to-face meeting to be held on 15 and 16 April 2026 at the Euro-Latin American Youth Centre (CEULAJ) in Mollina (Málaga). At this meeting, the selected groups will stage their work, with a maximum duration of 20 minutes, using any form of artistic or audiovisual expression.

The works will be evaluated by a jury composed of representatives from the European Information Network of Andalusia, based on criteria such as relevance to the European theme, clarity of message, creativity, overall vision and the behaviour of the students during the meeting.

Awards

The winning group will receive a laptop for each of its members, including the teachers responsible, as well as a certificate for the school. All finalists will also receive recognition for their participation.

All information regarding participation requirements, documentation to be submitted, Europe Direct reference centres, assigned topics, evaluation criteria, rules of conduct, authorisations and other organisational aspects is detailed in the annexes accompanying this call for entries, which form an integral part of the rules governing the JACE 2026 Award.

Participation in the JACE Award implies full acceptance of the rules and their annexes, and reinforces the commitment of Andalusian educational centres to the training of young citizens who are active and aware of their role in the construction of the European project.

Further information: European Information Network of Andalusia