Competitions, prizes and awards for applicants from Europe

Competitions, prizes and awards open to European applicants, including programmes open worldwide. Each one is checked against the official page.

12 open now, 1 fully funded. Updated 13 November 2026.

This list shows competitions, prizes and awards whose rules include applicants from Europe, plus those open to every nationality. Some are limited to particular countries within the region; the “Who can apply” column and each listing’s eligibility section say exactly which.

See which of these you qualify for, and why.Get my matches, free

Prize · Fully fundedUNESCO-Al Fozan International Prize for the Promotion of Young Scientists in STEM (third edition)UNESCO

USD 50,000 per laureate, plus medal and diplomaOpen worldwide30 Nov

Competition · UnfundedFoodTech 500 Competition 2026Forward Fooding

Not statedOpen worldwide15 Nov

Prize · Partly fundedIUSSP Early Career Awards 2027International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP)

Free registration for IPC 2029 (Barcelona) and award ceremony; webinar presentationAfrica, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, Oceania15 Nov

Competition · Partly fundedGlobal Debate Championship 2026 — Harvard Merdeka EditionVOOICE Assembly USA (European Voice Assembly)

Fully funded: round-trip airfare, 5-day shared 4-star accommodation, meals and championship access (listed at €12.99). Partially funded: accommodation, meals and access, excluding airfare (€699). Self-funded: event access and visa support (€1,199), excluding airfare and with independent travel arrangements.Open worldwide1 Dec

Competition · Partly fundedErase Indifference Challenge 2026Erase Indifference (Auschwitz Pledge Foundation)

€90,000 total: 1 × €20,000 main award and 7 × €10,000 awardsOpen worldwide4 Dec

Prize · Partly fundedQoG Best Paper Award 2026Quality of Government (QoG) Institute, University of Gothenburg

A week as a guest scholar at the QoG Institute, with travel to and from Gothenburg and accommodation covered.Open worldwide9 Dec

Competition · Partly fundedInternational Machine Learning Competition 2026IMLC (International Machine Learning Competition)

Prizes and awards worth a total of 1,500 USD: 1st/2nd/3rd prizes of 250/175/125 USD (Senior), 200/150/100 USD (Youth), 175/125/100 USD (Junior); plus national awards, Gold/Silver/Bronze honours and participation certificates.Open worldwide13 Dec

Prize · Partly fundedLand and Soil Management Award 2026/2027European Landowners' Organization (ELO)

€5,000 award plus a diploma of recognitionOpen worldwide31 Jan

Competition · Partly fundedSt. Gallen Symposium Global Ideas Competition 2027St. Gallen Symposium (International Students' Committee)

CHF 20,000 total prize fund for three awardees; expenses-paid participation for top 100 selectedOpen worldwide1 Feb

Prize · Partly funded2027 Human Rights Essay AwardAcademy on Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law

Full tuition scholarship (travel, housing and per diem not included) for each of two awardsOpen worldwide3 Feb

Competition · Partly fundedMicrosoft Imagine Cup 2027 Startups CompetitionMicrosoft (Imagine Cup / Microsoft for Startups)

Imagine Cup Champion: US$250,000 cash plus US$1,000,000 in startup credits; Second place: US$50,000 cash and US$350,000 credits; Third place: US$25,000 cash and US$350,000 credits; Top Student Startup: US$25,000 cash and US$250,000 credits; Category Winners and Top 20 Startups also recognised with mentorship and enterprise access.Open worldwide28 Feb

Competition · UnfundedRobotics for Good Youth Challenge 2026-2027 (participation)International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

Not statedOpen worldwide1 Apr