#SaferInternet4EU
The #SaferInternet4EU campaign aims to promote online safety, media literacy and cyber hygiene, making children, parents and teachers more aware of digital opportunities and challenges.
And, what better way to promote online safety, media literacy and cyber hygiene than by acknowledging and rewarding some of the achievements in this area? Much work has focused on creating a safer and better digital world for its youngest users, their parents, teachers and carers, through a range of online tools, services, resources and initiatives from a myriad of stakeholders.
In order to celebrate this progress, Commissioner Mariya Gabriel launched the #SaferInternet4EU Awards on Safer Internet Day (SID) 2018, acknowledging also the leading role which the European Union is playing in the field, following up to 20 years of EC-funded safer/better internet programmes. Applications will be reviewed by a jury formed of EU experts in the field of Better Internet for Kids (BIK) and cyber hygiene, and winners will be invited to an awards ceremony at the Safer Internet Forum in Brussels in November 2018.
The awards are now open for online applications through to midnight CEST on 15 May 2018. Please read on for the full competition information before commencing your application. Those wishing to see the required fields before commencing an online application can download a PDF here.

#SaferInternet4EU Awards Competition Categories

#SaferInternet4EU
The #SaferInternet4EU Awards competition is open to applications in the following categories:
  • A best practice competition for organisations, rewarding a high-quality and innovative online safety education programme, resource or awareness-raising campaign targeting youth, teachers or parents. This category is open to public and private organisations (including Insafe network organisations), specialists, or academia which are operating within one of the country beneficiaries of the Better Internet programme under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), i.e. EU28, Iceland and Norway.
  • A best practice competition for teachers, rewarding a remarkable and inspiring initiative/resource/tool/solution from a single teacher or a group of teachers
  • A best practice competition for youth, rewarding a remarkable and inspiring initiative/resource/tool/solution from a single young person or a group of youth.

All best practices should focus on issues related to the sphere of Better Internet for Kids (BIK), tackling topics such as fake news, cyberbullying, connected toys and privacy concerns, grooming, or exposure to harmful or disturbing content, or cyber hygiene issues more generally.

The #SaferInternet4EU Awards competition runs from 1 March 2018 until 31 October 2018 and will take place in two phases.

Competition Timeline

Phase 1: Launch and selection of finalists (March – June 2018)
  1. Competition launch (1 March 2018).
  2. Submission of applications (1 March 2018 – 15 May 2018).
  3. Review of applications and selection of finalists (15 May 2018 – 30 June 2018).
Phase 2: Preparation of audio-visual materials (finalists only) and public voting (July – October 2018)
  1. Finalists will be asked to prepare and submit audio-visual material to further exemplify their best practice (1 July 2018 – 31 August 2018).
  2. Publication of audio-visual materials on the BIK portal and opening of public vote (28 September 2018).
  3. Close of public voting (31 October 2018).
Competition winners will be announced during an awards ceremony at the Safer Internet Forum (SIF) taking place in Brussels, Belgium on 20 November 2018.

 

 

Competition Rules and Conditions

All best practices* should focus on issues related to the sphere of Better Internet for Kids (BIK), tackling topics such as fake news, cyberbullying, connected toys & privacy concerns, grooming, exposure to harmful or disturbing content, or cyber hygiene aspects (i.e. password security, cyber security and so on).
* For the purposes of this competition, best practices are taken to include initiatives, resources, tools, solutions or similar also.

Criteria for Evaluation

All applications should clearly indicate impact, scalability and originality of the best practice, and provide clarity of presentation also, as these aspects will form part of the evaluation process.
  • Impact and scalability: The best practice has achieved good impact on its intended target groups and has the potential to be scaled up to possibly address the wider public also.
  • Originality: The best practice features unique components, different from anything else that exists already.
  • Clarity of presentation: The best practice description is clear and easy to understand.

 

Eligibility

 

  • Applicants must be operating (in the case of organisations) or citizens or residents (in the case of individuals) in at least one of one of the country beneficiaries of the Better Internet programme, under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), i.e. EU28, Iceland and Norway.
  • Best practices in any of the EU official languages will be eligible. However, application forms must be completed in English only.
  • There are no specific requirements for the format or length of resources, programmes or campaigns, although they should have been created/launched in the last two years (after 1 March 2016).
  • Only one best practice can be submitted per application. However, participants can submit multiple applications, either individually or in groups; in the case of group and cross-border projects, the project can only be submitted in one country which is closely linked to the project. Nominations of other best practices are very much welcome as well (although you should have the nominees permission to do so).
  • In the case of group entries, only one prize will be awarded.
  • Only best practices submitted through the online form will be accepted.
  • Entries will be disqualified if the resources/projects/initiatives have not yet started, or in the case of incomplete applications or applications sent in several parts
In the case of applications to the youth category specifically:
  • Applicants must be between 13 and 19 years old and must be citizens or residents of one of the country beneficiaries of the Better Internet programme under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), i.e. EU28, Iceland and Norway.
  • If under 18, applicants must have their parents/legal guardian’s permission to participate in this competition. If selected to proceed to stage two of the competition, applicants and their parents/legal guardians will be required to complete additional forms of consent to be eligible for the next stage.

Submit your application online or, for any queries, please contact bik-info@eun.org. The first stage of the competition will close on Tuesday, 15 May 2018 at midnight CEST