Belgian, French and Slovakian projects win 15th Civil Society Prize on combating harmful polarisation

This year, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is awarding its flagship Civil Society Prize to non-profit projects dedicated to combating the harmful polarisation of European society.

Non-profit projects from Belgium, France and Slovakia have been shortlisted for the EESC’s 15th Civil Society Prize, which is dedicated to combating the harmful polarisation of European society. The EESC will reveal the final ranking of the winners in Brussels on 20 March, at an award ceremony held during Civil Society Week.

The finalists were chosen from over 50 applications from across Europe. The creativity and dedication of the projects submitted showcase civil society’s enthusiasm and strong motivation to help European society withstand the onslaught of negatively polarising content.

The prize money of EUR 32 000 will be shared among the three front-runners. The winner of the first prize will receive EUR 14 000, with the two runners-up each receiving EUR 9 000.

The three winning projects (listed below in alphabetical order) are:

Critical Thinking Olympiad (CTO), a project by the Slovak Debate Association, SLOVAKIA

The Critical Thinking Olympiad (CTO) is one of the most innovative and successful programmes run by the Slovak Debate Association. Launched in 2021, the CTO has been widely adopted, with nearly 9 000 registered participants from over 300 schools last year. It is structured as a competition across three age groups in three rounds, in which students tackle real-world media challenges. The tasks mirror the content young people encounter on a daily basis, such as evaluating Instagram posts, analysing TikTok videos, and fact-checking AI-generated content.

ESCAPE GAME EXTREME DROITE pour se désintoxiquer, a project by FEC Diversité asbl, BELGIUM

To raise awareness on the dangers of far right movements, FEC Diversité has devised an Escape Game made up of four districts, in which different ‘families’ take part. The game creates an immersive experience for players, with supervisors wearing protective suits and gas masks, and using voice modification tools. The game can be set up for small groups (3-4 people) or large groups (160 people). It can take an hour, half a day or a whole day, depending on what those hosting the event need and how much time they have available.

Prix Européen Jeunes Reporters d’Espoirs, a project by Reporters d'Espoirs, FRANCE

The Prix européen jeunes Reporters d’Espoirs is an educational programme created in 2020, which has built up a community of nearly 800 young reporters. Its aim is to promote solutions-based journalism and the use of the French language among young Europeans and French speakers under the age of 30 – whatever their status, education or training. It encourages participants to improve their writing skills, self-confidence and critical thinking, and to defend their work orally. The aim is to produce a written report of 5 to 10 pages on a social challenge and on initiatives in one or more European countries that provide practical, proven solutions.

The EESC launched this edition of the prize in September 2024 and dedicated it to combating harmful polarisation, wanting to recognise the crucial role played by civil society in the fight against disinformation, fake news and shrinking media plurality (among other things – a more extensive description of this edition’s theme can be found here). 

The prize, awarded this year for the 15th time, honours non-profit projects carried out by individuals, civil society organisations and companies. A different theme is chosen for each edition, covering an important area of the EESC’s work. The prize money and recognition the winners receive will help them scale up their projects and provide further help in their communities.

The 14th edition saw the first prize awarded to the Third Age Foundation’s AgeWell project. In 2022 the EESC exceptionally granted prizes for two themes: youth and help for Ukraine. In 2021, the prize rewarded climate projects promoting a just transition. In 2020, the EESC replaced its Civil Society Prize with a one-off Civil Solidarity Prize dedicated to the fight against COVID-19. Other topics in the past have included gender equality and women’s empowerment, European identities and cultural heritage, and migration.