A new prize for Europe’s teachers

In recognition of teaching excellence, the Jan Amos Comenius Prize is open to secondary school teachers in Europe.

Think of it as the Oscars for secondary school teachers in Europe. This is one way to describe the new ‘Jan Amos Comenius Prize for high-quality teaching about the European Union’.

The aim of this new prize is to reward teachers and schools that are improving learning about the European Union. The idea behind this prize came from Michaela Šojdrova, an MEP from the Czech Republic, who was inspired by a similar initiative in her country. 

Surveys show that young Europeans’ knowledge about the European Union is low and that many of them do not participate in the democratic processes that shape its future. The prize aims to showcase good practices that enhance young people's knowledge and awareness of the EU. Schools play a crucial role in this.

What are the eligibility requirements? The contest is open to secondary schools only. Applications for this reward should showcase interesting and inspirational teaching methods on Europe – the type of methods that give students the opportunity to get a ‘touch and feel of the EU’ –  not just about factual information and the role of different institutions.

As such, the type of projects eligible remains flexible. In fact, any initiative that is part of a school’s curricula which teaches about the EU or even a single event is welcomed. The only condition is that this effort should be an extraordinary source of inspiration for other schools that may not be as active in these types of activities. What’s important, however, is for the teacher or school to make learning about the EU truly engaging and attractive to pupils – encouraging them to engage in discussions about Europe.

This is exactly why teachers and schools involved in tax education should consider applying for the award. Drawing on the material and resources available on the TAXEDU digital platform, teachers around Europe are educating the next generation of EU tax payers about the importance of tax and how it is being used to improve the lives of Europeans in an exciting, inspirational and fun way. 

There will be up to 28 prizes of 8.000 EUR each, one in each Member State.

How to apply

The contest is open to all secondary schools of general, vocational, technical or any other type of education as long as they are officially recognized by the national education authorities in an EU Member State.

The application should include evidence of an activity demonstrating how applicants meet the criteria. In addition to a written description, the applicants should also submit a video about the activities. So, if pupils participate in the shooting of the view, this is proof that they were engaged, and the activity worked. 

The deadline for applications is 6 February 2020. The European Commission makes the final selection after the applications are assessed by independent external evaluators appointed by the European Commission.

More information on the prize can be found on the Commission’s website.