SALTO Awards

Let’s recognise work well done and inspire young people, decision makers and applicants of Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps to have a greater impact.

Evolving integration of digital technologies into the society and youth field.

Inclusion & Diversity

Supporting young people with fewer opportunities and diversity of all kinds.

Media & Information Literacy

Promoting critical thinking and media literacy to foster youth participation.

Solidarity & Volunteering

Changing Europe for the better with “the power of together”.

Youth Participation

Shaping Europe’s democracy through youth engagement, connection, and empowerment.

Meet the 2022 Finalists & Winners

Digital Transformation winner: Digital Bridges

Digital Bridges (winner) – an international project that merged both online collaboration and student exchanges where school students and teachers from Serbia, Northern Macedonia, Croatia and Slovenia participated in digital escape rooms, virtual reality charades, treasure hunts with QR codes, online co-design sessions, ICT workshops, robotics, STEM learning, and many more activities.

Project links: Website, Facebook

eljub E-Book Week 2021 (finalist) – the eljub European Youth Meetings are dedicated to stimulating intercultural exchange and networking of young people from nine European countries and young people with a refugee or migration background who live in Austria. In a playful way, project participants learned how to use different media formats (e-book, film, video conferences) by creating e-books and films.

Project links: Website, Instagram, Facebook

eAkrounta (finalist) – a local project led by young volunteers of the Akrounta village in Cyprus, also members of a local youth club, that aims to preserve the heritage of the village through digitalising the historical documents of the local community, creating video documentaries, and promoting them via a website and social media channels.

Project links: Website

Inclusion & Diversity winner: ESC- Volunteering as a Tool

ESC – Volunteering as a Tool (winner) – a 10-day intensive programme for 36 young prisoners 18-30 years of age that turned the Albolote Penitentiary Center (Granada, Spain) into Hogwarts where planned social and wellbeing activities worked as magic so that day-to-day lives of the participants could be redirected for their personal development at different levels. The participants were also introduced to Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes and developed project proposals for the following application rounds, took on training courses and thus learn more about their future opportunities and themselves.

Holding Hands With Other Abilities (finalist) – an ESC volunteer project that hosted 4 European volunteers at the Cerebral Palsy Association of Coimbra in Portugal. With the goal of social inclusion and improved quality of life, the volunteers, who themselves were coming from areas of geographic and economic challenges, brought their talents and ideas to create intercultural activities for clients with cerebral palsy and various other disabilities. From cooking to hippotherapy, from organic farming to theatre, the volunteers dedicated their hands to work and their hearts to inclusion.

Project links: Facebook, APCC website, ESC database project link

KacsaKő Experience Camp (finalist) – free of charge summer camps in Hungary where 9-14 year-old children from state care institutions, Roma segregations and segregated schools meet and make friends with the children who come from the majority, non-Roma, privileged families. The camps are powered by psychologists, sociologists, sports coaches, and intercultural educators of disadvantaged children, as well as young participants themselves.

Project links: Website, Facebook

Media & Information Literacy wineer: MIL-Lacework by Journalism

MIL-Lacework by Journalism (winner) – an interconnected Estonian cluster of MIL-advancing activities by 4Dimensioon, an University of Tartu’s students’ NGO that includes an independent news site, a monthly paper with 35 000 copies, a radio show and an institute’s podcast, a TikTok account on MIL, various media education workshops and trainings, etc. The team is made up of current students and alumni – reporters, photographers, teachers, media ambassadors, videographers, graphic designers, editors, and sound designers that are all aged between 20-27 years.

Project links: Website

Think Critically-Act Logically (finalist) – an Erasmus+ project that united partnering organisations from Bulgaria, Armenia, Greece, Georgia, Ukraine, Portugal and Romania in preventing disinformation and intolerance caused by fake news and disinformation. The project included an 8-day training course for 32 participants in Bulgaria that reached 300 young people online in different countries, and produced a booklet with materials on the topic gathered throughout the activities.

Project links: Facebook

ABRAZIV (finalist) – once a national TV show created to help Moldovan young journalism and cinematography talents get into practice, today the project has a permanent team and young volunteers working together on four short and educational TikTok & YouTube video shows targeting generation Z: a studio talk show promoting critical thinking, an ironic commentary on current events in the Republic of Moldova, a man-in-the-street interview format promoting the right to expression among the general public, and a media literacy series teaching tool for teachers and students. Their YouTube channel counts 2,7 million subscribers.

Project links: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook

Solidarity & Volunteering winner: Getting Healthy Through Fun

Getting Healthy Through Fun (winner) – a self-led group of university students studying medicine and technology in Poland, who spent a year voluntarily organising fun and engaging activities for the 250 young patients and their parents at the children’s hospital. Every month the theme and activities were different, as well as the specialists that were invited as guests.

Project links: Instagram, Facebook

Hey Christmas Carol 3! (finalist) – a solidarity project where young volunteers find new ways to entertain their local communities through singing, art workshops, and traditional cultural events. The project has been running for 4 years and in 2021 hit its record number of performances and shared the Christmas spirit with more than a thousand people.

Project links: Facebook

A-round Table (finalist) – a group of 5 Ukrainian and 1 Polish volunteers that organised 240 art workshops for the refugees from Ukraine and locals in Krakow. These workshops were led by Ukrainian artists and were attended by the refugee families, families and friends of volunteers from the initiative group, but also volunteers with refugee experience, and their children. The meetings were also attended by people coming for humanitarian aid to the “U-WORK” Foundation, which supports us free of charge.

Project links: Facebook

Youth Participation winner: Our Space – For Our Better Future

Our Space – For Our Better Future (winner) – a Georgian youth centre formed by 6 young people who actively involved the municipality, local organisations, 4 youth centres with around 10 youth workers, and 500 young leaders from the rural area of Georgia to support its work. Together, they crowdfunded about 30% of their budget, initiated and organised events, ran online and offline campaigns, and united local people around the idea to create youth space together.

Project links: Facebook

Across the Sea (finalist) – a project led by 20 volunteers under 20 years of age that aimed to foster a sense of common vision for the future of the Mediterranean community. The activities involved the collaboration of youth delegations representing 14 countries in the Mediterranean basin who worked on two of the greatest challenges of the Mediterranean community: migration and climate change.

Project links: Instagram

100 Girls for Azerbaijan (finalist) – a 0-budget umbrella project of webinars and trainings aimed to promote Human Rights, Gender Equality, Girls’ Empowerment & Opportunities in Azerbaijan. Launched during the pandemic, the activities reached 300+ young people across the state, gained 2000 followers on social media, and received several national and international endorsements.

Project links: Instagram

Prizes!

700 euros

for the winning project in each category

+
a place for your project in our
Flagships Projects Collection

+
a project feature in the promotion of SALTO Awards winners on SALTO communication channels

Selection timeline

September 1 - 30

October 1 - 31

October 21

November 3

Nomination. Apply through this form to submit your project for evaluation. Remember to address the specific criteria for your category.

Evaluation. Our juries go into the thorough evaluation of the submitted projects and will collectively choose the winners in each category.

Shortlist ready. We send out notification emails and invite the shortlisted teams to attend the Awards Ceremony.

Awards Ceremony. We announce the winners at the ceremony that takes place both online and at the Youth Participation Forum in Tallinn, Estonia.

Selection criteria

Find out what we are looking for in each category

Digital Transformation

Youth digital transformation projects explore and address the multiple ways in which digital technologies affect society, now and in the years to come. We’re looking for youth-centered digital transformation projects investigating, inventing, and/or co-creating new ways aiming to support a sustainable and inclusive integration of digital technologies into society. We’re keen to learn about projects that go beyond a specific topic or skill set (e.g. digital literacy, coding, social media takeover). Examples of projects might include youth-centered initiatives taking a holistic look at the interconnected and disruptive digital transformation processes – and aiming to respond to the challenges and opportunities they might bring about. For inspiration please take a look at the Digitally Agile Youth Work and the New Shores Game.

We’re looking for projects that address 3 or more of the following areas of digital transformation:

Youth digital participation
Skills and education
Digital access and infrastructure
Digital transformation strategies in policymaking
Empowerment of young people through experimentation and innovative use of technologies
Sustainability (e.g. environmental impact of digital transformation)
Ethics (e.g. Digital rights, etc)

Inclusion & Diversity

We are looking for practices that achieved a greater impact on the lives of young people with fewer opportunities and promoted positive diversity management. The projects can be implemented by youth work organisations, informal groups, municipalities or young people themselves under the Eramus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes.

What is specifically important for a project in this category?

It targets young people with fewer opportunities (e.g. disabilties, health problems, cultural differences, or other barriers such as linked to education and training systems, discrimination, social, economic, or geographical barriers) and contributes to reducing those barriers, overcoming obstacles and upskilling YPWFO;
It contributes to an active and conscious outreach process to have more young people with fewer opportunities in the EU youth programmes;
It addresses positively the diversity that different groups add to our lives;
It brings increased knowledge, awareness and understanding, of the importance of inclusion & diversity;
It showcases an evident impact, visibility and recognition of the benefits of the experience in YPWFO and supports follow-up actions, sustainability and future opportunities for them;

Media & Information Literacy

Are you tackling hate speech or cybersecurity? Are you working to make young people better content creators to make their voices heard? Have a project which fights extremism? Leading youth exchanges or activities that explore journalism, social media, or youth information?
The projects nominated in Media and Information Literacy category can be implemented under the Erasmus+ or the European Solidarity Corps programmes, but we’re open for best practices outside of the EU Youth programmes as well.

What is specifically important for projects in this category?

It focuses on young people taking action to make a difference, becoming more active influencers of the society.
It brings MIL skills and knowledge to the participants and the communities.
The project can clearly present the impact and change (e.g. young people’s skills and attitudes have developed or cooperation regarding MIL between youth work organisations has been boosted, etc).
It helps young people and/or youth workers in their learning journey.
It helps to shape and understand what Media and Information Literacy means.
It is very good in one of the bonus-criteria: Sustainability, Youth Participation in democratic life, Digitalisation, Inclusion, Promotion & Outreach.

Solidarity & Volunteering

We are looking for inspirational projects with an outstanding solidarity dimension.
The projects can be implemented by communities, organisations, companies, municipalities or young people themselves under the European Solidarity Corps programme, but also any other funding scheme is eligible as long as it specifically promotes solidarity as a core value.
Check out our Insights in good quality projects to find out more.

What is specifically important for projects in this category?

It helps to shape an understanding of what Solidarity in Europe means.
It boosts development of skills and knowledge around solidarity.
It makes a difference in the community even after the project has finished. Check out our background info on community impact.
It is an excellent example of how solidarity connects to one of the bonus-criteria: Sustainability, Youth Participation in democratic life, Digitalisation, Inclusion, Promotion & Outreach

Youth Participation

We are looking for inspirational projects in which young people are empowered in a meaningful and impactful way, either by leading the project themselves or in partnership with adults. The projects might involve taking part in decision-making and expressing their voice or being active in civic and youth movements with the aim to enhance youth participation in democratic life and improve their communities.

What is specifically important for a project in this category?

It involves young people as leaders or key stakeholders.
It supports active engagement of young people.
It improves competencies for democratic life of its beneficiaries.
It has an impact on the community.
It reaches young people with fewer opportunities, supports sustainability, or digital innovation.

Every project has to

Be actively progressing within this year with main activities finishing by the end of November 2022. Initiation and finishing stages can be outside 2022 frame.

Produce tangible outcomes that make it possible to multiply its impact beyond the direct participants.

Produce clearly identified intangible results including relevant learning outcomes to the different actors involved.

Have a long-term impact – sustainable and replicable (with necessary adaptations).

Come from Erasmus+ or/and European Solidarity Corps Programme countries and partner countries (Regions 1-4).

Is coming from non-formal education and be funded by Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps or any other programme/source.

You get extra points if your project

Involves solutions or/and is conducted in ways that are sustainable and contribute to the environmental protection.

Represents cases of outstanding communication where the project has been visible and reached its target audiences.

Is initiated and conducted in a participatory way, involving young people, youth workers, organisations, and/or other stakeholders.

Is inclusive, meaning you can show how new or diverse target groups, or people that wouldn’t normally participate, have been included and have benefitted.

Promotes solidarity as a value in its approach, benefitting the local or/and international communities.

Implements practices that enable digital transformation and/or digital participation with the use of contemporary technologies.

Who can nominate a project?

Project team members & participants

Individuals who have been part of or led any relevant projects

National Agencies

The National Agencies of Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps

Public institutions & stakeholders

Public bodies (e.g local municipalities, youth centres, schools, etc), decision-makers who have implemented, funded or facilitated project or its processes