Newcomer Gender Equality Champions

The EU Award for Gender Equality Champions 2026 (topic HORIZON-WIDERA) invites single legal entities—universities, higher education institutions and research-performing organisations—established in EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries or EU candidate countries to apply as Newcomer Gender Equality Champions. Eligible applicants must have completed implementation of their first Gender Equality Plan (GEP) by the call deadline and meet Horizon Europe minimum process requirements (publication, dedicated resources, data collection/monitoring and training). Two Newcomer winners will each receive €100,000 and applications are evaluated by an independent jury against Progress Achieved and Stakeholder Engagement with individual and overall score thresholds. Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal HORIZON-WIDERA by 29 September 2026, 17:00 CET and must include Part A, Part B (max 15 pages) and the mandatory GEP annex.

EU Award for Gender Equality Champions 2026

What it funds, who can apply, and how much

What it funds:a recognition prize scheme rewarding organisations that have implemented effective Gender Equality Plans (GEPs). The Award highlights role models and promotes inclusive gender equality across the European Research Area.

Prize structure:Four prizes in total: one Sustainable Champion, two Newcomer Champions (this topic), and one Inclusive Champion. Each prize winner receives €100 000 (total prize budget €400 000). ¹

1. 1Sustainable Gender Equality Champions: established, sustained GEP impact
2. 2Newcomer Gender Equality Champions: organisations that recently completed their first GEP and show most progress
3. 3Inclusive Gender Equality Champions: innovative GEPs addressing intersectionality

Who can apply:a single legal entity (no joint applications) — public bodies, private entities, non-profit or for-profit organisations, research organisations and higher education establishments — established in an EU Member State, a Horizon Europe Associated Country, or an EU candidate country. Applicants must have a current GEP and the GEP forming the basis of the application that meet Horizon Europe minimum process-related requirements.

Application essentials:submit electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal using the provided submission templates. Part B limited to 15 pages. Applicants may be asked later for validation documents and a short video for communication purposes. Applications will be judged by an independent expert jury against category-specific criteria (progress, impact, stakeholder engagement, inclusiveness, etc.).

Practical links and documents:full Rules of Contest, application templates and guidance are available on the official topic page on the Funding & Tenders Portal Topic page.

Footnotes

1. 1See Rules of Contest and Work Programme Part 11 for full details: EU Award for Gender Equality Champions (HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-GENDER-Prize) available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Opportunity summary

Call identifier:HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-GENDER-Prize (Topic HORIZON-WIDERA). Call type: Call for applications for an EU recognition prize (HORIZON Recognition Prize). Call opening date: 16 June 2026. Deadline for submission: 29 September 2026, 17:00:00 CET (Brussels). Managing authority: European Research Executive Agency (REA) on behalf of the European Commission. Purpose: recognise and reward organisations that demonstrate substantial progress, sustained impact or innovative inclusive approaches in implementing Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) in line with Horizon Europe General Annexes and the ERA Policy Agenda.

Total budget and prize allocation:Total prize budget €400,000 for 2026. There will be four winners in total: one winner in Sustainable Gender Equality Champions, two winners in Newcomer Gender Equality Champions, and one winner in Inclusive Gender Equality Champions. Each prize winner receives €100,000. If one or more categories have no winners, the prize amounts are reallocated to highest ranking proposals in other categories following the reallocation order described in the Rules of Contest ¹.

Categories, objectives and expected outcomes

The EU Award for Gender Equality Champions 2026 is structured into three prize categories. Each category targets a different maturity and ambition level of Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) and their implementation, with the overall objective to boost inclusive institutional change and to provide role models across the European Research Area.

1. 1Sustainable Gender Equality Champions: Organisations demonstrating a significant, sustained record of activity and high level of achievement through the implementation of their GEP(s). Expected outcomes: demonstrable sustainable internal impact, institutionalisation of GEPs, external outreach and inspirational role for others.
2. 2Newcomer Gender Equality Champions: Organisations that have no prior sustained activity in gender equality and that have recently completed implementation of their first GEP (completed audit, planning and implementation phases and reached monitoring and evaluation by the call closure date). Expected outcomes: measurable progress achieved through first GEP, strong stakeholder engagement, demonstration of contextualised ambition and improvement.
3. 3Inclusive Gender Equality Champions: Organisations that have developed the most innovative inclusive GEP addressing intersectionality (gender plus at least two other social categories, e.g. racial or ethnic origin, social origin, sexual orientation and gender identity LGBTIQ, disability) and can demonstrate concrete results from implementation. Expected outcomes: demonstrable intersectional progress, innovative approaches to inclusiveness and measurable impact.

Eligibility: who can apply

Eligible contestants:single legal entities only. Joint or consortium applications are NOT allowed. Legal entities may be public bodies, private entities, non-profit or for-profit organisations, research organisations and higher education establishments. Applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries: EU Member States (including Overseas Countries and Territories), non-EU countries associated to Horizon Europe (Associated Countries), or candidate countries for accession to the EU. Applicants must have a current GEP and must attach the GEP on which the application is based (if different) that comply with the minimum process-related requirements defined in the Horizon Europe General Annexes (publication on website and top management adoption, dedicated resources, sex/gender disaggregated data collection and reporting at least every two years, training/awareness raising).

Additional eligibility specifics for category 2 (Newcomer):applicants must have completed the implementation phase of their first GEP by the call closure date and reached the monitoring and evaluation phase. Applicants cannot be winners of previous editions of this EU Award and cannot receive a second EU or Euratom prize for the same activities.

Geographic and organisational scope:Eligible geographic scope for applicants and activities: EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and candidate countries for accession to the EU. Organisations must be legally established in one of these countries and demonstrate activities and impacts in these jurisdictions; activities carried out outside the EU are subject to ethical and legal restrictions. The Participant Register validation (PIC and legal validation) is mandatory prior to award ¹.

Award criteria and scoring

Eligible applications are evaluated by a jury of independent experts. Evaluation is category-specific and cumulative (all listed criteria apply). Each category has two award criteria with individual thresholds and an overall threshold. Scores are given with one decimal place and maximum overall score per category is 15 points. Proposals must pass all individual criterion thresholds and the overall threshold to be considered for award.

Evaluation procedure:if more than 40 applications per category are received, a pre-selection will shortlist the best 20 to pass to jury review; otherwise all admissible applications go directly to jury review. For tied scores, the jury applies tie-break rules: in categories 1 and 2 tie-break gives weight to Criterion 1 (score doubled) and, if still tied, to a better incorporation of intersectional approach. If ties persist, the prize budget may be equally divided among tied applicants. After jury ranking and mandatory checks (ethics, security scrutiny, LEAR/legal entity validation, non-exclusion, double funding, plagiarism), awarding authority decides on the award and informs applicants of results. Appeal / complaint procedures are available as indicated in the evaluation result letter.

Application and submission process

Submission is electronic only via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Paper submissions are NOT accepted. Applicants must register in the Participant Register and obtain a validated PIC (Legal Entity Validation by REA). Applications must be complete and respect page limits: Application Form Part A (online administrative data) and Application Form Part B (technical description) using the Submission System template; Part B is limited to 15 pages and any extra pages will be disregarded. Mandatory annex: the Gender Equality Plan (GEP) used for the application (signed/adopted and published, uploaded as PDF). The application must include a weblink to the publicly published GEP. Applicants may be asked later to provide additional documents (legal entity validation, bank account validation, ethics forms, declaration on honour) and may be asked to submit a short video message for communication purposes.

1. 1Step 1: Register an EU Login account, register the organisation in the Participant Register and receive PIC; ensure LEAR or appropriate account administrator roles manage the organisation profile.
2. 2Step 2: Access the Topic page on the Funding & Tenders Portal and open the Electronic Submission Service to create your draft (pick correct action/type of prize).
3. 3Step 3: Complete Part A (online) and download the Part B template from the Submission System. Fill Part B and convert to PDF. Upload Part B and mandatory annexes (GEP PDF).
4. 4Step 4: Ensure Part B does not exceed 15 pages. Submit the application before the deadline. Keep confirmation email as proof of submission.
5. 5Step 5: If successful, prepare to provide any additional requested validation documents and to participate in communication activities (video).

Submission templates and form structure:Applicants must use the application form templates provided inside the Submission System (not the versions on the Topic page). The application is structured in: Part A (administrative data filled in online) and Part B (technical description) downloaded from the submission system. Part B must include: 1) Executive summary and identification of prize category; 2) Detailed description of the GEP on which the application is based and how it meets Horizon Europe GEP minimum process-related requirements; 3) Evidence of implementation activities, data and indicators (qualitative and quantitative evidence, baselines, KPIs, monitoring results); 4) Explanation of impacts, sustainability and institutionalisation (for Sustainable), or progress and stakeholder engagement (for Newcomer), or intersectional design, innovation and outcomes (for Inclusive); 5) Outreach, dissemination and knowledge-sharing activities; 6) Ethical considerations and compliance; 7) Annex list and public link to published GEP (signed by top management). The submission system may also include specific fields for administrative declarations (e.g. conflict of interest, prior EU prize winners) and an upload slot for the mandatory GEP PDF. Applicants should follow the Rules of Contest guidance for exact Part B structure and page limits ¹.

Eligible applicant types (detailed)

Eligible applicant types include:public bodies, private legal entities, non-profit organisations, for-profit organisations, research organisations, higher education establishments, and other legal entities that can be validated through the Participant Register. Individuals, informal groups without legal personality, and consortium/joint submissions are not eligible. Entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate if representatives have legal capacity to undertake obligations and offer guarantees equivalent to legal persons (subject to Rules of Legal Entity Validation). Organisations subject to EU restrictive measures, conditionality measures, or exclusion criteria (bankruptcy, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, money laundering, links to criminal organisations, serious breach of prior EU contract obligations) are not eligible to participate or receive the prize.

Funding type and nature of support

Primary funding type:award / prize (recognition prize). Nature of support: monetary prizes paid to winners (€100,000 per winner) combined with non-monetary benefits including visibility, communications support, participation in award ceremony, and access to press and dissemination channels managed by the awarding authority. Prize payment is made after the award ceremony and only after submission of required validation documents (legal entity, bank account, ethics where applicable).

Consortium requirement and application stages

Consortium requirement:single legal entity only (mono-applicant). Joint or consortium applications are explicitly not allowed. Application stages: single-stage submission for initial evaluation. However, selection process may include an internal pre-selection (if >40 applications per category) and then jury review. Following jury ranking, mandatory checks (legal entity validation, ethics review, non-exclusion, double funding checks, plagiarism) occur. Applicants may be asked post-submission to provide additional supporting documents or short communication video. Total formal stages applicants encounter: 2 (1 submission stage; 1 evaluation & mandatory checks leading to award decision).

Project stage and target maturity

Target project stage:implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Gender Equality Plans. The prize is aimed at organisations that have implemented GEPs and can demonstrate progress, sustainability and/or innovation in inclusion. For Newcomer category applicants must have completed audit, planning and implementation phases and be in monitoring and evaluation at call closure.

Co-funding and financial conditions

Co-funding:no co-funding requirement from the applicant for the prize itself. The prize is a lump monetary award (€100,000 per winner). Applicants must, however, ensure accurate declarations about other EU funding and avoid double funding: activities that have already been funded by another EU prize cannot receive a second prize for the same activities. Winners must comply with EU Financial Regulation checks and may be required to provide financial validation documents (bank account, LEAR validation). Taxes or national rules on prize receipts are the responsibility of the winner.

Templates and application materials — structure and required documents

Mandatory documents and structure:Application Form Part A (administrative data completed online in the Submission System). Application Form Part B (technical description) must be downloaded from the Submission System template and re-uploaded as a PDF. Part B must not exceed 15 pages. Mandatory annex: the Gender Equality Plan (GEP) document used for the application (signed/adopted and published; English if available recommended) uploaded as PDF. Applicants must include in Part B the web link to where the GEP is published publicly and signed by top management. Additional supporting documents may be requested after submission for validation (legal entity validation documents, bank account validation, ethics self-assessment documentation, declaration of honour, etc.).

1. 1Application Form Part A: administrative details filled in online on the Submission System (legal name, PIC, contact details, legal representative, bank details during validation stage).
2. 2Application Form Part B: technical description using Portal template (max 15 pages) covering category selection, GEP description, data and evidence (quantitative & qualitative), outcomes, sustainability, stakeholder engagement, outreach and communication activities, ethics, risks and KPI indicators.
3. 3Mandatory Annex: PDF copy of the current GEP and the GEP on which the application is based (if different) complying with Horizon Europe minimum process-related requirements.
4. 4Optional: any other supporting evidence (evaluation reports, monitoring dashboards, statistics) may be uploaded if requested or within allowed annex slots. Be prepared to provide legal entity validation documents on request.

Checks, audits, ethics and exclusion

Mandatory checks after jury ranking include ethics review (if relevant), security scrutiny, legal entity validation (REA Validation service), non-exclusion checks (bankruptcy, fraud, professional misconduct, EU restrictive measures), double funding checks, and plagiarism screening. Applications raising ethics issues must undergo an ethics review before award. The awarding authority, Commission, REA, OLAF, EPPO and ECA may perform checks, audits and investigations related to the prize and its award ¹.

Success rates and competition

The Rules of Contest do not publish a target success rate or expected number of applicants. The prize will award up to four organisations. If more than 40 applications are received in a category a pre-selection will shortlist the best 20; otherwise all admissible applications will be evaluated by the jury. Applicants should therefore assume competitive selection with rigorous evaluation and thresholds.

Communication, visibility and IPR

Winners must promote the prize and its results and use the EU emblem and funding statement in communications. The emblem must not be modified and must be displayed at least as prominently as other logos; winners may use the emblem without prior approval but they may not appropriate it. Communications must be factually accurate and include the EU disclaimer: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. The awarding authority obtains no ownership of results; it retains the right to use non-sensitive information and received materials (e.g. photos, audiovisual material) for communication and dissemination.

Important operational dates and timetable

1. 1Call opening: 16 June 2026
2. 2Deadline for submission: 29 September 2026, 17:00:00 CET
3. 3Evaluation period: October 2026 to January 2027
4. 4Information on evaluation results / award: January to March 2027
5. 5Award ceremony and prize payment: after award decision and upon submission of requested validation documents

Practical tips for applicants

Applications must be completed in advance of the deadline to avoid technical issues. Ensure the Participant Register entry is validated early (LEGAL ENTITY VALIDATION/LEAR process) because legal validation is required for award. Use the Part B template from the Submission System (not the Topic page reference document). Keep Part B within the 15-page limit and provide robust evidence for claims (data baselines, indicators, monitoring results, external evaluations where available). For Newcomer category, clearly document the GEP lifecycle dates to prove audit, planning and implementation phases were completed and monitoring and evaluation phase has been reached by the closure date. For Inclusive category, document intersectional design and measurable results addressing at least two other social categories besides gender. Prepare to supply post-submission documents (bank account validation, declaration on honour, ethics forms) promptly if requested.

Categorisation questions (structured answers)

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Eligible applicants are single legal entities only: public bodies, private entities, non-profits, for-profit organisations, research organisations and higher education establishments. Entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate if authorised representatives can assume legal obligations and offer equivalent guarantees. Joint applications or consortia are not allowed.
2. 2Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a recognition prize / award (monetary prize payments of €100,000 per winner).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: Single applicant (mono-entity) only. Consortiums or multi-entity applications are explicitly disallowed.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Organisations established in EU Member States (including OCTs), Associated Countries to Horizon Europe, or candidate countries for accession to the EU. Activities must relate to these countries.
5. 5Target Sector: Thematic sector: gender equality and inclusiveness in research and higher education; cross-cutting for the European Research Area. Primary sectoral focus is institutional policy reform and research ecosystem governance rather than specific industrial sectors.
6. 6Mentioned Countries: The call text refers generically to Member States, Associated Countries and candidate countries for accession. Specific country list is not enumerated in the topic text beyond reference to EU Member States, Associated Countries and candidate countries. Reference materials point to EU enlargement information for candidate status details ¹.
7. 7Project Stage: Expected maturity: implementation and monitoring/evaluation of Gender Equality Plans (GEP lifecycle: audit, planning, implementation, monitoring & evaluation). For Newcomer category, applicants must have completed implementation and reached monitoring and evaluation by the call closure date.
8. 8Funding Amount: Rough funding range: prize award €100,000 per winner. Total prize budget €400,000. No project grant funds are provided beyond this prize; no minimum or maximum grant per se other than the stated prize amount.
9. 9Application Type: Single-stage open call. Electronic submission via Funding & Tenders Portal (open call). Submission is not rolling; it has a fixed deadline.
10. 10Nature of Support: Winners receive monetary prize payments (money) plus non-monetary support in the form of visibility, participation in award events and dissemination by the Commission. The prize is not a grant agreement for action funding.
11. 11Application Stages: Effectively two main stages for applicants: 1) single-stage submission; 2) evaluation including pre-selection (if >40 applications) and jury review followed by mandatory checks and award. Applicants may also be asked to provide follow-up documents or a short video after submission.
12. 12Success Rates: Not specified. Four winners will be selected from the pool of eligible applicants; competition expected to be selective. If many applicants apply, only a small fraction will be awarded (unknown precise success rate).
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: No co-funding required to receive the prize. Applicants must ensure no double funding for the same activities and comply with any national tax implications; winners must provide bank validation and other documentation on request.
14. 14Templates: Application forms come in two parts. Part A administrative data is completed online in the Submission System. Part B technical description must be downloaded from the Submission System template, completed and re-uploaded as a PDF. Part B is limited to 15 pages. Mandatory annex is the GEP PDF (signed/ adopted and published). Additional required documents (legal entity validation documents, bank account validation, ethics documentation, declaration of honour) may be requested at award stage. Use the Submission System templates available on the Topic page within the Portal; follow the Part B structure and page limits as described in the Rules of Contest and the Submission System documentation ¹.

Where to apply and where to find official documentation:Applications must be submitted through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System on the Topic page for HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-GENDER-Prize. Key reference documents include: the Rules of Contest (Call Document) for the EU Award for Gender Equality Champions 2026, the Horizon Europe Work Programme sections cited (Part 11 WIDERA and General Annexes), and the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual and FAQ. Application templates and the official Rules of Contest are available on the Topic page and must be used as provided in the Submission System ¹.

General summary and explanation

This opportunity is an EU recognition prize (award) seeking to recognise and scale up institutional change on gender equality and inclusiveness across the European Research Area by awarding four organisations that have demonstrated outstanding achievement through Gender Equality Plans (GEPs). It is managed centrally by the European Research Executive Agency and forms part of the Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area (WIDERA) Work Programme under Horizon Europe. The prize is category-based to reflect differences in maturity and ambition: Sustainable (long-standing, institutionalised impact), Newcomer (first completed GEP with most progress), and Inclusive (innovative intersectional approaches). Applicants are single legal entities established in EU Member States, Associated Countries or candidate countries and must have compliant GEPs meeting Horizon Europe minimum process-related requirements. Submission is online via the Funding & Tenders Portal using the provided templates and a maximum 15-page Part B. Applications are evaluated by independent experts and a jury against category-specific award criteria with individual and overall thresholds. Four winners will each receive €100,000, and winners will be required to provide validation documents and are expected to participate in communication and dissemination activities. The prize aims to reward role models, encourage uptake of inclusive gender equality practices and accelerate institutional reforms and monitoring of GEPs across research and higher education organisations in the ERA.

Footnotes

1. 1Primary source: EU Award for Gender Equality Champions — Rules of Contest (Call: HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-GENDER-Prize), Version 1.0, 19 May 2026. Available on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page: ec.europa.eu and associated call documents. This document contains detailed eligibility rules, award criteria, procedures, templates for Part B, required annexes, budget and timetable.

Who Should Apply

Eligible applicants are universities, higher education institutions, and research-performing organisations (public or private) that have recently completed the implementation of their first Gender Equality Plan (GEP) and can demonstrate the most significant progress achieved through it [[1]][[3]].

Geographic Eligibility:Organisations must be established in an EU Member State, an Associated Country to Horizon Europe, or, for the first time in 2026, a country holding candidate status for EU accession [[1]][[5]].

Key Eligibility Highlights for Newcomers

1. 1Must have finalised the implementation phase of the first GEP by the call closure date (29 September 2026) [[3]]
2. 2Must have no prior sustained activity or systematic institutional strategies dedicated to gender equality [[3]]
3. 3The GEP must meet four mandatory process requirements: publication, dedicated resources, data collection/monitoring, and training [[3]][[5]]
4. 4Past winners of any category from previous editions are not eligible to re-apply [[1]][[3]]

Award Criteria & Evaluation

Applications are evaluated by an independent jury based on two cumulative criteria:(1) Progress Achieved (covering thematic coverage, qualitative/quantitative progress, and contextualised ambition) and (2) Stakeholder Engagement (level and scope of internal involvement) [[3]].

Prize Details & Timeline

Prize Amount:Each winner receives a trophy and a prize of €100,000 [[3]][[5]].

Number of Winners:Two winners will be selected in the "Newcomer Gender Equality Champions" category [[3]][[5]].

1. 1Call Opening: 16 June 2026 [[1]][[7]]
2. 2Submission Deadline: 29 September 2026 at 17:00 CET (Brussels Time) [[1]][[5]]
3. 3Evaluation Period: October 2026 – January 2027 [[3]]
4. 4Award Ceremony: Brussels, 2027 [[5]][[7]]

How to Submit

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal under the topic identifier HORIZON-WIDERA [[1]][[5]]. The application includes Part A (administrative), Part B (technical description, max 15 pages), and a mandatory annex containing the GEP document [[3]].

For further assistance, contact the Research Enquiry Service or the IT Helpdesk via the Portal [[3]].

Footnotes

1. 1Official Rules of Contest and detailed guidance are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page: EU Award for Gender Equality Champions 2026