European SME Week Youth Essay Competition 2022 (Opportunity to Pitch in the Czech Republic)

Deadline: September 26, 2022

The European Commission is now accepting entries for its SME Week Youth Essay Competition 2022. Now in its 7th edition, the YEC gives 18-25-year-olds a platform to share their bright ideas with key figures and stakeholders involved in enterprise, entrepreneurship and SMEs. Read on for all the details about this year’s competition!

The Youth Essay Competition is organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. Every year, the competition aims to focus young minds on resolving a key societal challenge.

This year’s challenge

This year the competition asks young people to think about the theme: Our European economies are highly dependent on fossil fuel energies. How can future young entrepreneurs contribute to a more sustainable economy?

Do you have something to say on this topic and would you like to get your ideas out there? Then the YEC is for you!

Benefits

• The three finalists will win a chance to compete in a live final at the SME Assembly 2022, in November in the Czech Republic.
• They will also get presentation training before delivering the speech live on stage, and
• Their speeches will be promoted across official European Commission social media channels.

Eligibility

• Entrants must be aged between 18 –25 (included) and be citizens of the COSME countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine
• Essays must not exceed 2,500 words in length
• All essays must be in English
• Only one entry per applicant

Application

• All you have to do is write a 2,500-word essay in English on the theme above and submit it before the deadline of 26 September 2022.

Click here to submit.

For more information, visit European Commission.