• This year's theme is "Empowering Youth"
• There are 4 categories plus 2 awards that will evaluate food security, climate resilience, the socioeconomic fabric of rural areas and gender equity, as well as the popular vote.
• This year there will be a new award for projects that promote gender equality in rural and agricultural areas.

The rural and agricultural sector deserves to be recognized for the development work they carry out not only at the local level, but also for society as a whole. Therefore, the European CAP Network (EU CAP Network) is once again holding the 2nd edition of the "Agricultural and Rural Inspiration Awards" 2024, this year with the aim of encouraging the participation of young agricultural and rural people in projects presented under the motto of "empowering young people."

The works to be submitted must be funded by the CAP through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). and/or the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) . Applicants can apply in four categories:

1. Competitive and smart agriculture : projects that contribute to a competitive, resilient, and diversified sector that guarantees long-term food security.
2. Environmental protection : for initiatives that protect biodiversity, address climate resilience, demonstrate sustainability, and/or contribute to a green recovery.
3. Socioeconomic fabric of rural areas : for projects focusing on social innovation in rural communities (inclusion, rural entrepreneurship, innovation) or that digitalize agriculture.
4. Rural Youth : New this year, this project aims to disseminate youth projects in rural areas so they can be applied in other areas.

Shortlisted projects are also eligible to receive two additional awards:

1. The Popular Vote Award: will be decided by a public online voting system.
2. The Gender Equality Award: for projects that promote equality in the agricultural and rural sector. All preselected projects that include women as participants in their activities are eligible for the award. The award will also be decided by the jury.

Candidacies

Applications can only be submitted through the national CAP networks, in this case, through the Spanish CAP Network . To do so, please send your applications to the following email address: redpac@mapa.es . If you have any questions, please contact the CAP Network or the regional office corresponding to each autonomous community , who will also receive applications.

Applications must be completed in Word format beforehand. This document also includes instructions for submitting the application. The document must be submitted in English and can be found here .

Finalists will be able to attend the awards ceremony in Brussels, the date of which has yet to be determined. This will serve as a networking opportunity for establishing contacts. The selected projects will also be publicized through the European CAP Network's "Good Practices" portal , as well as through its social media channels.

The deadline for receiving applications is July 5 .