In this school year, students are invited to share their ideas about how to make Europe an (even) better place to live, with the chance of winning a study trip to Brussels! The competition complements the release of the toolkit “EU Democracy in Action’- Have your say with the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI)” that teachers can use to familiarise students with the areas of action of the European Union and with the tools available to citizens to get involved in the EU.

Secondary school pupils from across the EU are invited to enter the ImagineEU competition by creating and sharing a short video about an innovative idea that would improve their communities and that could be the object of an EU law.

The ImagineEU competition builds on the concept of the ECI, which empowers European Union citizens to take an active role in influencing EU policies and in the democratic processes of the EU. Students entering the competition will be encouraged to learn more about the EU and develop their communication and collaboration skills through the use of the recently released ECI toolkit for schools.

Who can participate?

The competition is open to students in their final two years of secondary education in an EU member state. The videos (not exceeding 3 minutes) should be developed and produced by a group of up to 7 students from the same school, working under the supervision of one or two teachers. Once submitted, eligible videos will be uploaded to the competition's webpage, where viewers will be encouraged to vote for and support their favorites.

After the public vote is completed, the top videos will be judged by the competition jury, and the winning three entries will be announced.

The deadline to share the video is 13 December 2023. Full competition rules, video technical specifications, and application details are available on the competition website.

What’s the prize?

Three winning teams of 7 students and 2 teachers will win a study trip to Brussels. During the trip, students will have the opportunity to meet representatives of the European Institutions dealing with the ECI and learn more about the role of the different EU institutions and EU history.

What is the ECI “EU Democracy in Action” toolkit for schools?

The interactive ECI toolkit for schools is designed to equip high school students with the knowledge and skills that will allow them to become active and engaged EU citizens. The toolkit comprises four thematic units, each with a different focus, moving from general information about the European Union to more specific information and activities related to the European Citizens’ Initiative. The ECI Toolkit is available in all official EU languages.