2021 EU Health Award - Cancer Prevention

Award on cancer prevention

Submission deadline: 30 November 2021

The objectives of this Award are to recognise innovative actions by cities, NGOs or other civil society organisations, and schools and other learning facilities that contribute to promote and improve cancer prevention through strengthening communication, including health literacy.

The 2021 EU Health Award will recognise and reward initiatives that contributed to the promotion of healthy and active lifestyles for children and young people (from 6 to 24 years old).

Initiatives could include actions promoting healthy diets and regular physical activity, discouraging the use of tobacco products and alcohol, reducing (online) marketing of unhealthy products, enabling a supportive environment and protection from exposure to sunlight.

A special focus should be on reaching and involving children and young people from socio-economic disadvantaged population groups including migrants, ethnic minorities etc., and/or children living with disabilities.

The Commission supports Member States and stakeholders in promoting healthy lifestyles through a wide variety of actions on health promotion and disease prevention.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – such as cancer - are responsible for 80% of the disease burden in the Member States, yet only 3% of European health budgets are reserved for health promotion and disease prevention.

In addition to causing human suffering, this further increases the pressure on national healthcare and social protection systems, on limited governmental budgets, and on the overall economy, including a healthy and productive workforce. Adopting a healthy and active lifestyle at a young age will help to reduce cancer risks at a later stage in life.

Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan steps up early preventive actions and has a wide variety of actions in its prevention pillar.

“A healthy lifestyle is crucial in our daily well-being and thus a collective responsibility, where all actors at all levels are called to act”, Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. “We all have a role to play.”

The European Commission wants to encourage cities, NGOs or other civil society organisations, and primary, secondary or higher educational institutions in the European Union to play a role in promoting good health and to reward them for their contributions by inviting them to submit an application on communication and health literacy on cancer prevention among children and young people (from 6 to 24 years old) under the 2021 EU Health Award.

Applications submitted under the 2021 EU Health Award on cancer prevention must have started and been put into practice in 2020 and/or 2021. Multiple applications by the same applicant are allowed, provided that each application is for a different initiative under the topic of this Award and all required documents are submitted for each application separately.

Six initiatives per category in this call will be selected and each of them will receive a prize:

• Prizes for the category CITIES:
  1. First winner: EUR 30 000
  2. Second winner: EUR 20 000
  3. Third winner: EUR 12 000

  In addition, three shortlisted initiatives will each be awarded a certificate and EUR 1500.

• Prizes for the category NGOs or OTHER CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS:
  1. First winner: EUR 30 000
  2. Second winner: EUR 20 000
  3. Third winner: EUR 12 000

  In addition, three shortlisted initiatives will each be awarded a certificate and EUR 1500.

• Prizes for the category EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS:
  1. First winner: EUR 30 000
  2. Second winner: EUR 20 000
  3. Third winner: EUR 12 000

  In addition, three shortlisted initiatives will each be awarded a certificate and EUR 1500.

The EU Health Award is funded by the EU4Health Programme, under the 2021 work programme.

Award Ceremony at the EU Health Policy Platform annual meeting

Representatives of all shortlisted initiatives were invited to the 2022 EU Health Policy Platform annual meeting, where the 2021 EU Health Award Ceremony took place (with the appropriate COVID-19 sanitary restrictions in place at the time of the EU Health Policy Platform annual meeting).

Winners and shortlisted applicants for the 2021 EU Health Award on communication and health literacy on cancer prevention among children and young people (from 6 to 24 years old) were invited as follows:

• City category: maximum 2 representatives per selected application (winners and shortlisted) will be invited and reimbursed for their travel and accommodation expenses.
• NGO/other civil society organisation category: maximum 2 representatives per selected application (winners and shortlisted) will be invited and reimbursed for their travel and accommodation expenses.
• Educational institution category: maximum 2 representatives and maximum 5 children per winning application and maximum 2 representatives and 3 children per shortlisted application will be invited and reimbursed for their travel and accommodation expenses.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to join the EU Health Policy Platform to follow up on the EU Health Award and to engage in the discussions on health issues of common interest with international, European, national and regional stakeholders and the European Commission. The link to the Platform is https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/hpf/

Submit your application

Thank you for your interest in the 2021 EU Health Award and your dedication to improving public health. Here are some tips for successfully navigating the submission process.

• Application language and translations: Applications may be submitted in any official language of the European Union. However, in order to facilitate the evaluation process, it is recommended to submit the applications in English or at least to provide an English translation, as indicated in the submission form.
• Check the criteria: Before submitting, please check that you are not at any risk of being disqualified for any reason that is clearly listed under the “Criteria” tab of this website.
• Submission form – draft and upload of documents: The submission form can be saved at any time of the process by clicking on "save as draft" on the right side of the submission page. Larger documents of over 1MB need to be uploaded in parts, each under 1MB in size. Once submitted, you can print or get your submission form in pdf by typing in your email address.
• Do not wait until the last day to submit your application as you may encounter some difficulties reducing the size of the requested pdf documents.
• Frequently asked questions are regularly posted under the “News” tab of this website. If you don’t find what you are looking for there, we would be happy to help you at sante-hppec [dot] europa [dot] eu (sante-hpp[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)

Submission deadline: 30 November 2021.
 

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