At Youth Works Hub, we went through the full call fiche for this prize so you know exactly what it rewards, who can enter, how entries are scored, and what the โฌ125,000 prize fund is split into before the 17 September 2026 deadline. The #BeActive EU Sport Awards celebrate the people and projects making a real difference for sport and physical activity across Europe, building on the earlier #BeActive and #BeInclusive Awards and now expanding into five categories. Managed by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) under Erasmus+ Sport, the awards highlight top sporting initiatives and give Europeans inspiring role models.
What the #BeActive EU Sport Awards Recognise
๐ The prize recognises and celebrates the achievements of sport organisations and stakeholders that have successfully promoted sport and physical activity across Europe.
๐ Sport is treated here as a driver of EU priorities: promoting healthy lifestyles and well-being, strengthening social cohesion through inclusion, encouraging intergenerational dialogue, combating discrimination, championing active community engagement, and supporting peace, freedom and human rights.
โป๏ธ The awards also encourage sustainable and green sport, with activities that may focus on educational establishments, workplaces or local communities.
The Five Award Categories
๐คธ Physical Activity โ celebrates initiatives that have successfully encouraged physical activity at all levels, across education and training establishments, non-formal learning environments, workplaces or the local community.
๐ค Inclusion โ rewards initiatives that use sport to promote social inclusion, gender equality, diversity and unity, and that support disadvantaged groups such as ethnic minorities, people with disabilities or vulnerable young people.
๐ Volunteering โ celebrates organisations and individuals that have shown outstanding commitment to supporting and developing sport through volunteer efforts.
๐ต Across Generations โ celebrates initiatives that use sport to bring people of all ages together, fostering intergenerational connections, inclusion and long-term community development.
๐๏ธ Peace โ rewards organisations that have successfully used sport as a tool to promote peace, bringing together diverse communities and fostering dialogue, tolerance and peaceful coexistence at local, national or global level.
The Prize Fund
๐ถ The total prize fund is โฌ125,000.
๐ฅ In each of the five categories, one winner receives โฌ15,000, and two finalists (ranked 2nd and 3rd) receive โฌ5,000 each.
๏ฟฝjunoceremony The winner and finalists in each category are announced and showcased at an award ceremony, and prize money is paid after the ceremony once the required documents are submitted (for a group, to the lead applicant).
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Who Can Apply
๐ข Applicants must be legal entities: individuals, public or private bodies, including international organisations.
๐ One important nuance from the call fiche: individuals (natural persons over 18) are only eligible in the Volunteering category. For all other categories, the applicant is an organisation.
๐ Applicants must register in the Participant Register before the deadline and be validated by the Central Validation Service; entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate.
Which Countries Are Eligible
๐ช๐บ Applicants must be established in an eligible country: an EU Member State (including overseas countries and territories), or a non-EU country that is a listed EEA country or a country associated to the Erasmus+ Programme, or in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement that enters into force before the grant decision.
Which Activities Qualify
โ The activity must be a successfully implemented sport activity promoting sport or physical activity, with tangible results already achieved at the time of application.
๐ Ongoing or recurrent activities should specify the results already achieved.
๐ซ Activities do not have to be transnational or EU-supported, but projects still in the development phase are not eligible.
โ๏ธ Applicants must respect the highest ethical standards and basic EU values, including human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights.
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How Applications Are Judged
๐ A pre-selection stage selects the best six applications per category, which are then evaluated by a Jury of recognised sport and physical-activity experts, followed by ethics review, legal-entity validation, non-exclusion and double-funding checks.
๐ According to Youth Works Hub's reading of the call, entries are scored on three award criteria:
๐ Relevance โ alignment with the chosen category's purpose, outreach to citizens with limited access, fighting discrimination, and respect for EU values (minimum 20, maximum 40).
๐ Quality โ creativity and innovation, schedule and frequency, the type and number of participants, and accessibility for target groups (minimum 10, maximum 20).
๐ Impact โ qualitative and quantitative impact on participants and communities, benefits beyond sport (e.g. job placement, language learning, empowerment), sustainability, replicability across the EU, and communication actions (minimum 20, maximum 40).
๐ฏ The overall pass mark is 60 out of 100, and entries must pass both the individual thresholds and the overall threshold. In a tie, priority goes to the highest "Impact" score, then "Relevance".
How to Apply
๐ฅ๏ธ Applications are submitted online through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System (no paper submissions).
๐ You complete Application Form Part A (administrative information, filled in online) and Part B (the technical description, using the provided template, maximum 20 pages), plus optional communication-material annexes, all readable, accessible and printable.
Frequently Asked Questions
โ How much can I win? In each category, the winner receives โฌ15,000 and two finalists receive โฌ5,000 each, from a total fund of โฌ125,000.
โ Can an individual apply? Only in the Volunteering category (a natural person over 18). All other categories are for organisations.
โ Does my project need to be EU-funded or transnational? No. It just needs to be a successfully implemented sport activity with tangible results already achieved; projects still in development are not eligible.
โ Where do I apply? Online via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, with Part A online and a Part B technical description of up to 20 pages.
โ When is the deadline? 17 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time.
Deadline
โณ 17 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time
Link
You'll find more European prizes and funded opportunities, explained in plain language, on Youth Works Hub.
โ ๏ธ Important Notice
Youth Works Hub is not the organiser, partner, or representative of the listed projects. This listing is shared for information only, based on details from the source. Deadlines, eligible countries, dates, and other details may change or be withdrawn at any time, and all funding, reimbursements, and allowances are set by the project coordinator or National Agency. Applications go directly to the coordinator or hosting organisation through the official link. Listings may include third-party links (ESC Portal, infopacks, forms) that Youth Works Hub does not control. Always verify the details on the official project page before applying
