Sustainable Gender Equality Champions

The EU Award for Gender Equality Champions 2026 is a Horizon Europe recognition prize managed by the European Research Executive Agency to reward organisations demonstrating measurable impact from Gender Equality Plan (GEP) implementation. Four prizes of €100,000 each will be awarded across three categories (Sustainable, Newcomer, Inclusive) and applicants must choose one category. Eligible single legal entities established in an EU Member State, a Horizon Europe Associated Country, or an EU candidate country must submit an electronic application via the Funding & Tenders Portal and include the GEP that meets Horizon Europe minimum process-related requirements. The call opened 16 June 2026 and the submission deadline is 29 September 2026 at 17:00 CET.

What it funds

Purpose and prizes

Recognition prize to reward academic and research organisations for measurable impact from implementation of Gender Equality Plans (GEPs). The award promotes inclusive GEPs and role models for the European Research Area.

Total budget:€400 000 total; four winners each receive €100 000 ¹.

1. 1Sustainable Gender Equality Champions — organisations with significant sustained GEP impact
2. 2Newcomer Gender Equality Champions — organisations completing their first GEP showing greatest progress
3. 3Inclusive Gender Equality Champions — organisations with most innovative intersectional GEP (gender plus at least two other social categories)

Who can apply

Single legal entities only (no joint applications). Eligible applicants:public bodies, private entities, non-profit or for-profit organisations, research organisations and higher education establishments established in EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, or EU candidate countries. Applicants must have a current GEP and the specific GEP used for the application that meet the minimum process-related requirements in the Horizon Europe General Annexes.

Key rules and evaluation

Applications are evaluated by an independent jury against category-specific criteria (e.g., sustainable impact, progress achieved, stakeholder engagement, innovative inclusiveness). Winners are selected after mandatory checks (legal entity validation, ethics, non-exclusion, etc.). Previous recipients of an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a second prize for the same activities.

Deadline:29 September 2026, 17:00 CET. Submit electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page Topic page.

Applications must use the application form in the Submission System and include the GEP as a mandatory annex. Part B (technical description) is limited to 15 pages. Shortlisted contestants may be asked for legal validation documents or to provide a short video for communication purposes.

Footnotes

1. 1Full Rules of Contest and detailed conditions are published by the European Commission: EU Award for Gender Equality Champions — Rules of Contest (call HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-GENDER-Prize). See the topic documentation on the Funding & Tenders Portal for the official call text and templates.

Call summary and purpose

The EU Award for Gender Equality Champions 2026 is a recognition prize (HORIZON Recognition Prize) managed and launched directly by the European Commission and implemented by the European Research Executive Agency (REA). It is designed to reward and promote institutional change driven by Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) in academic, research and related organisations across eligible countries, complementing the GEP eligibility criterion under Horizon Europe and supporting the ERA Policy Agenda’s objectives on inclusive GEPs and institutional reform. The call is open from 16 June 2026 and the submission deadline is 29 September 2026, 17:00 CET. Evaluation is by independent expert jury, with award decision and information to winners planned January–March 2027. Prize winners will be publicly announced following mandatory checks and an award ceremony.

Prize structure and budget:Total indicative prize budget for this topic is €400,000 (2026). Four prizes of €100,000 each will be awarded across categories. Distribution of winners: one winner in Sustainable Gender Equality Champions, two winners in Newcomer Gender Equality Champions, and one winner in Inclusive Gender Equality Champions. If a category yields no winner, budget is reallocated to highest-ranking proposals in other categories as described in the Rules of Contest ¹.

Prize categories and expected outcomes

The contest selects organisations in three separate categories (applicants choose one category). The Prize aims to recognise the organisations with the most significant impact from GEP implementation and to strengthen gender equality and inclusiveness within the European Research Area (ERA). Winners will serve as role models, promote institutional change, and increase visibility of GEP benefits.

1. 1Sustainable Gender Equality Champions — Organisations demonstrating a significant and sustained record of activity and high achievement through the implementation of one or more GEPs. Award criteria: Criterion 1 Sustainable Impact; Criterion 2 Inspirational Model.
2. 2Newcomer Gender Equality Champions — Organisations without a sustained history of gender equality activity that have recently completed implementation of their first GEP and can demonstrate the greatest progress through that implementation. Award criteria: Criterion 1 Progress Achieved; Criterion 2 Stakeholder Engagement. Two winners will be selected in this category.
3. 3Inclusive Gender Equality Champions — Organisations that developed the most innovative inclusive GEP addressing intersectionality (gender plus at least two other social categories such as racial/ethnic origin, social origin, sexual orientation and gender identity LGBTIQ, or disability) and can demonstrate concrete results. Award criteria: Criterion 1 Progress Achieved; Criterion 2 Innovative Inclusiveness.

Eligibility and who can apply

Eligible contestants are single legal entities (joint or consortium applications are not allowed) established in an EU Member State, a Horizon Europe Associated Country, or an EU candidate country. Eligible legal entities include private entities, public bodies, non-profit or for-profit organisations, research organisations and higher education establishments. Applicants must have a current GEP and must provide the GEP on which the application is based; these GEPs must comply with the minimum process-related requirements set in Horizon Europe General Annexes (publication signed/adopted by top management; dedicated resources; sex/gender disaggregated data collection and reporting at least every two years; training/awareness raising). Applicants that have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a second prize for the same activities. Winners of previous editions of this EU Award are not eligible for any category of this prize. For eligibility compliance the applicant must have completed the GEP self-declaration questionnaire in the Participant Register by the call closure date.

Eligible Applicant Types:Public bodies (including research funders and higher education establishments), research organisations, universities, non-profit organisations, private entities (including for-profit organisations), and higher education establishments. Individuals cannot apply. The award is specifically open to single legal entities only (no consortia).

Beneficiary geographic scope:Applicants must be located in an EU Member State (including overseas countries and territories), an Associated Country to Horizon Europe, or an EU candidate country. The call documentation references the EU enlargement/candidate country list maintained by the EU. Activities must relate to these geographic areas.

Application, admissibility and required documents

Applications are submitted electronically only via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Paper submissions are not accepted. Applications use the Submission System templates and must include: Part A (administrative data completed online), Part B (technical description — use the Part B template from the Submission System, upload as PDF) and mandatory annex — the Gender Equality Plan (GEP) document on which the application is based (signed/adopted and published; upload PDF; English version if available). Part B is limited to a maximum of 15 pages; evaluators will not consider additional pages. Applicants may be asked later to supply further documentation for legal entity validation, bank account validation, ethics review, declaration on honour, or to provide a short video message for communication purposes.

Application Type:Open single-stage call (submission via Funding & Tenders Portal). The submission procedure is single-stage. Applicants must register in the Participant Register and obtain/use a PIC; validation by the Central Validation Service (REA Validation) is required before the call deadline.

Evaluation, award criteria and process

Eligible applications will be evaluated by an independent jury of experts against cumulative award criteria specific to each category. If more than 40 applications per category are received, a pre-selection will reduce entries to the best 20 before jury review. Scores are assigned per criterion with numeric thresholds and overall minimum pass mark; each category has individual criterion thresholds and overall thresholds as defined in the Rules of Contest. For tied scores, the jury applies priority rules (weighting Criterion 1 double) and uses incorporation of intersectionality as an ex aequo tie-breaker in some cases. If proposals still tie, the prize budget for that ranking may be split equally between tied applicants. Mandatory checks (ethics, security, legal entity validation, exclusion, double funding and plagiarism checks) follow evaluation; award decision follows positive completion of checks. Applicants receive an evaluation result letter and may follow appeal/complaint procedures described in the letter and Portal terms.

1. 1Evaluation type: jury review of admissible and eligible applications; pre-selection if >40 applications per category.
2. 2Scoring: category-specific criteria with numeric scores and minimum thresholds; overall maximum per application is 15 points; sub-criteria thresholds apply.
3. 3Tie-breaking: criterion 1 given weight 2 for priority order; intersectionality used as ex aequo criterion when applicable; equal division of prize possible when ties remain.
4. 4Checks prior to award: ethics review, security scrutiny, legal entity validation, non-exclusion checks, double funding checks, plagiarism checks.
5. 5Notification: all applicants receive evaluation result letters; winners announced after checks and award ceremony.

Award Criteria (high-level):For each category applications are judged on two cumulative criteria. Category 1 assesses Sustainable Impact (track record, measurable achievements, sustainability, lifecycle completeness and institutionalisation) and Inspirational Model (external outreach, knowledge sharing and influence). Category 2 assesses Progress Achieved (thematic coverage, qualitative and quantitative progress, contextualised ambition) and Stakeholder Engagement (level and scope of internal stakeholder engagement). Category 3 assesses Progress Achieved (thematic coverage, demonstrable progress, intersectional approach, lifecycle clarity) and Innovative Inclusiveness (novelty and added-value of intersectional approaches and evidence of impact). Each criterion has numeric maximums and minimum pass thresholds; applicants must pass both individual thresholds and the overall threshold for the category.

Notes on project stage, support type and funding modality

This is a recognition prize:support provided is monetary prize money to winning organisations (€100,000 per winner) and non-financial benefits (visibility, communication, networking; winners must undertake communication obligations including use of EU emblem and disclaimer). There is no grant contract for an action implementation as part of the prize; after award winners will receive the prize payment following submission of administrative documents. The prize does not fund proposed project work in the application beyond recognition; however winners may be asked to provide media material and may be invited to events and dissemination activities supported by the awarding authority.

Nature of Support:Monetary prize payments to winners (€100,000 each) plus non-monetary support (visibility, EU publicity, communication activities and potential sharing of non-sensitive materials for dissemination).

Funding Type:Recognition prize (HORIZON Recognition Prize).

Administrative, eligibility and exclusion specifics

Only single legal entity applications are permitted. Applicants must register and be validated in the Participant Register. Entities without national legal personality may exceptionally participate if representatives can undertake legal obligations and provide adequate guarantees. Special rules exclude entities subject to EU restrictive measures or conditionality measures. Applicants must not be in exclusion situations (bankruptcy, serious professional misconduct, fraud, irregularities or other conditions listed in the EU Financial Regulation). Prior winners of the same EU or Euratom prize for identical activities are ineligible. Applications must respect EU ethical standards and values; activities must have exclusive civil focus and comply with EU law. Applications invoking ethics issues may undergo ethics review which could condition award.

Co-funding Requirement:No co-funding is required to apply for the prize. Prize money is a recognition award; applicants do not need to budget co-funding for the award itself. However, applicants must demonstrate institutional commitment and dedicated resources to implement and sustain the GEP per Horizon Europe process-related requirements.

Project maturity and targeted organizational stage

This prize targets organisations that have implemented Gender Equality Plans. The expected maturity varies by category: Newcomer category expects completion of the first GEP lifecycle (audit, planning, implementation and reaching monitoring & evaluation) by the call closure date; Sustainable category expects a sustained record of activity (multiple cycles or sustained implementation); Inclusive category expects an implemented intersectional GEP with demonstrated concrete results. TRL concepts are not applicable; the maturity is institutional (implementation, monitoring and impact), not technical.

Project Stage:Development/implementation/monitoring and evaluation stages of institutional Gender Equality Plans (institutional change stage rather than research TRL).

Application process and templates

Applications must use the application forms provided inside the Submission System. Part A is completed online in the Portal. Part B must be downloaded from the Submission System, completed using the provided template, assembled and re-uploaded as PDF. The GEP to which the application relates must be uploaded as a mandatory annex (PDF). The Rules of Contest published by the European Commission and the Application Form templates in the Submission System provide the detailed page limits, layout, and required annexes. Applicants should consult the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual for submission procedures and the Rules of Contest for admissibility and evaluation details ¹.

1. 1Step 1: Register organisation in Participant Register and validate legal entity (PIC).
2. 2Step 2: Prepare Part B using the Submission System template (max 15 pages), prepare Part A online and collect mandatory annex: GEP (published, signed by top management).
3. 3Step 3: Submit electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 29 September 2026, 17:00 CET.
4. 4Step 4: If shortlisted/winner, provide additional requested documents on legal entity, bank validation, declarations, and possibly a short communication video for publicity.

Templates and structure of application:Use the Portal Submission System application form templates. Part B template (to be downloaded from Submission System) structures the technical description and includes fields for: context and objectives; description of the GEP and lifecycle status; evidence and data supporting measurable impact (qualitative and quantitative indicators and baselines); evidence of sustainability and institutionalisation; outreach and knowledge sharing activities; stakeholder engagement approaches; intersectionality/inclusive measures where applicable; ethical considerations; a short summary for communication. Applicants must include the weblink to public GEP publication and upload the GEP annex as PDF. Part B is limited to 15 pages; annexes may support data but evaluators only consider pages within the limit.

Application stages, success rate and practical timelines

This is a single-stage submission process (one formal application submission). Evaluation may include pre-selection if applications exceed 40 per category; shortlisted applications pass to jury review. Applicants may subsequently be asked to provide further validation documents or a communication video. The evaluation and award process includes administrative checks and mandatory reviews (ethics etc.) before formal award decision and payment. Timetable: call opening 16 June 2026; deadline 29 September 2026; evaluation October 2026 to January 2027; information on awards January–March 2027; prize payment after the award ceremony upon submission of administrative documents.

Application Stages:Single-stage submission plus potential pre-selection (if >40 applications/category), jury review, mandatory checks (ethics/security/validation), award decision, award ceremony and payment (post-award administrative submission).

Success Rates:Exact success rates depend on the number of applications received per category. Four prizes will be awarded in total. If many applications are submitted across categories, the overall success rate will be number of prizes (4) divided by number of admissible & eligible applicants; the Rules of Contest provide no fixed success probability. Historical editions (if any) and the number of applicants will determine final success rates.

Key obligations for winners

Winners must accept the prize and fulfil post-award obligations before payment:submit administrative and validation documents (legal entity validation, bank account validation), comply with ethics review conditions if applicable, and satisfy non-exclusion checks. Winners must promote the prize and results, acknowledging EU support, displaying the EU emblem and including the prescribed disclaimer in communications. The awarding authority can use non-sensitive information (pictures, audiovisual materials) for publicity. The awarding authority may withdraw the prize and recover payments in case of fraud, misrepresentation, ineligibility, or serious breach of obligations.

Communication and visibility:Winners must: acknowledge EU funding and display the EU emblem; include the funding disclaimer; provide factual accurate communication; allow the awarding authority to use non-sensitive materials; and may be asked to record a short video for communication purposes. Emblem use must not be exclusive and must be displayed at least as prominently as other logos when used with other marks.

Ethics, values and exclusions

Activities must comply with highest ethical standards, research integrity and applicable EU, international and national law. Prohibited objectives (human cloning for reproductive purposes, heritable genetic modification, creation of human embryos solely for research/stem cell procurement) remain excluded. Entities subject to EU restrictive measures or conditionality measures are ineligible. Applicants must not be in exclusion situations described under the EU Financial Regulation. Applications failing to respect ethical principles cannot be awarded the prize.

Other support and resources

Applicants can consult a range of Commission guidance and support:Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual; Rules of Contest (call document); Horizon Europe Programme Guide; General Annexes (GEP requirements); Funding & Tenders Portal helpdesk and IT support; Research Enquiry Service; National Contact Points; Enterprise Europe Network; European IPR Helpdesk. The Topic Q&A on the Portal may hold clarifications and updates. Consult the Topic page for call updates and the Submission System for templates and guidance.

1. 1Essential reference: Rules of Contest (Call document) for EU Award for Gender Equality Champions 2026 and Application Form templates are available via the Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.
2. 2Horizon Europe General Annexes for GEP minimum process-related requirements (publication, resources, data collection & monitoring, training).
3. 3Participant Register GEP self-declaration questionnaire (GEP status validation cut-off: call closure day).

Mentioned countries and regions

Explicitly mentioned target regions/countries in the call documentation:EU Member States (including OCTs), Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and EU candidate countries (as listed on the EU Enlargement page). The call documentation references the EU enlargement candidate country list and the general eligibility set (EU, Associated Countries, candidate countries). No specific single countries are required; all applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries.

Concise technical checklist for applicants

1. 1Confirm legal entity type and country of establishment; register and validate PIC in Participant Register before deadline.
2. 2Ensure organisation has a current GEP that meets Horizon Europe minimum process-related requirements; complete the GEP self-declaration questionnaire in the Participant Register before call closure.
3. 3Decide the prize category (Sustainable, Newcomer, or Inclusive) and prepare Part B addressing the category-specific award criteria with quantitative and qualitative evidence (use Part B template).
4. 4Prepare and upload mandatory GEP annex (PDF) and provide public weblink to the GEP as required in Part B.
5. 5Keep Part B within the 15-page limit; assemble Part A online; submit electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 29 September 2026, 17:00 CET.
6. 6Be ready to supply further administrative documents and a short communication video if requested during checks or after selection.

Summary — What is this opportunity about and how to explain it

The EU Award for Gender Equality Champions 2026 is a recognition prize scheme that highlights and rewards academic and research organisations that have implemented Gender Equality Plans with demonstrable institutional impact. The award functions as a booster to the GEP eligibility criterion in Horizon Europe and as an instrument to advance inclusive, intersectional and sustainable institutional change in line with the ERA Policy Agenda. Four prizes of €100,000 each will be allocated across three categories targeting long-term achievers, recent first-time implementers, and organisations that advance intersectional inclusiveness. Applications are single-entity submissions via the Funding & Tenders Portal using the provided templates, limited to 15 pages for Part B and must include the published, signed GEP. Evaluation is by an independent expert jury applying category-specific award criteria and thresholds; winners must comply with mandatory checks before payment. The award gives monetary recognition, visibility, and model status to winners to inspire other institutions and strengthen gender equality and inclusiveness across the European Research Area. Interested organisations should prepare evidence-based, data-supported submissions that map their GEP lifecycle, measurable impacts, sustainability and external outreach or innovative inclusiveness according to the category chosen, register and validate early in the Participant Register, and submit via the Portal before the deadline.

Full rules, templates, evaluation details and the official Rules of Contest are published on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page and in the call documents; applicants must use the Submission System templates and follow the Online Manual. For procedural queries consult the Portal FAQ, IT Helpdesk, Research Enquiry Service or National Contact Points. See the official call documentation for legally binding conditions and detailed award rules ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Call document: EU Award for Gender Equality Champions — Rules of Contest, Version 1.0, 19 May 2026. Topic page and documents available on the Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Overview of the Opportunity

The 'EU Award for Gender Equality Champions 2026' is a Horizon Europe recognition prize designed to complement and boost the Gender Equality Plan (GEP) eligibility criterion for research and higher education organisations [[1]]. Managed by the European Research Executive Agency (REA), this prize recognizes organisations with the most significant impact from implementing their GEPs, serving as role models to strengthen gender equality and inclusiveness in the European Research Area [[1]].

Prize Categories and Allocation

The prize will be awarded to four organisations across three specific categories. Applicants must choose only one category to apply for [[1]].

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants must be private entities, public bodies, non-profit or for-profit organisations, including research organisations and higher education establishments [[1]]. They must be located in an EU Member State, an Associated Country to Horizon Europe, or a candidate country for EU accession [[2]].

Key Requirements:Applicants must have a current GEP and the specific GEP used for the application must comply with the minimum process-related requirements set for GEPs in Horizon Europe General Annexes (publication, dedicated resources, data collection/monitoring, and training) [[1]]. Winners of previous editions of this prize are not eligible to re-apply [[1]]. Applicants who have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a second prize for the same activities [[1]].

Award Criteria by Category

Applications are evaluated by a jury of independent experts based on cumulative criteria specific to each category [[1]].

1. 1Sustainable Gender Equality Champions: Criterion 1 (Sustainable Impact) and Criterion 2 (Inspirational Model)
2. 2Newcomer Gender Equality Champions: Criterion 1 (Progress Achieved) and Criterion 2 (Stakeholder Engagement)
3. 3Inclusive Gender Equality Champions: Criterion 1 (Progress Achieved) and Criterion 2 (Innovative Inclusiveness)

Prize Amount and Budget

Each winner will receive a prize of €100,000, resulting in a total prize budget of €400,000 for the 2026 call [[1]]. If no winner is selected in a specific category, the prize amount will be reallocated to the highest-ranking proposals in other categories according to a defined priority order [[1]].

Deadlines and Timetable

The call opened on 16 June 2026, and the deadline for submission is 29 September 2026 at 17:00:00 CET (Brussels time) [[1]]. Evaluation is expected to take place between October 2026 and January 2027, with results announced between January and March 2027 [[1]].

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System; paper submissions are not accepted [[1]]. The process involves registering in the Participant Register to obtain a PIC and submitting the application in three parts: Part A (administrative), Part B (technical description, max 15 pages), and mandatory Annexes (including the GEP PDF) [[1]].

Footnotes

1. 1Official Rules of Contest and Call Document: EU Award for Gender Equality Champions (HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-Prize), Version 1.0, 19 May 2026 [[ec.europa.eu
2. 2Official Prize Page: EU Award for Gender Equality Champions [[research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu