28 de May de 2026 , SC POCTEP
  • POCTEP projects interested in submitting an application are requested to inform the Joint Secretariat of their intention to participate and/or of the submission of the application.

The new edition of the #EuropaSeSiente Project Competition is now underway. This competition, organised by the Directorate-General for European Funds (Ministry of Finance of Spain), once again aims to raise awareness and increase public understanding of the results and added value of European funds in Spain.

These awards are the best opportunity to highlight projects that transform neighbourhoods, change lives and demonstrate that Europe can be felt in every corner of the country.

For this reason, POCTEP encourages project beneficiaries to share their success stories so that the 2026 edition becomes the largest and most exciting one yet.

 

What’s new in 2026

The 2026 edition introduces several new features to make the competition more participatory, dynamic and aligned with current strategic challenges:

  • New Category #EuropaMovesYou: Strategic Autonomy: This year, the special category focuses on the Union’s sovereignty and resilience, rewarding large-scale projects in digital technologies, biotechnology, clean energy and critical infrastructure.
  • Popular Vote Semi-finals: The 48 pre-selected projects will be subject to public voting. The EuropaSeSiente 2026 website will host the vote, where citizens will choose the 3 finalists in each category.
  • A “Eurovision”-style Final: The final stage at the Annual Event will combine the assessment of a technical jury (60%) with a live public vote (40%) to select the winners in each category.
  • Double Golden Star: For the first time, two top awards will be presented: the Jury Golden Star and the Public Golden Star, further increasing recognition and visibility for the best projects.

 

Which projects can apply

Only completed projects will be considered, meaning that all planned activities must have been carried out and the operation certified or declared closed by the beneficiary or the Managing Authority, regardless of whether the final balance payment is still pending accounting execution.

POCTEP projects interested in applying are kindly requested to inform the Joint Secretariat of their intention to participate and/or submit an application.

 

Categories

Projects submitted to the competition must apply under one of the following six categories:

  1. #EuropaSeSiente Competitive Category
  2. #EuropaSeSiente Green Category
  3. #EuropaSeSiente Connected Category
  4. #EuropaSeSiente Social Category
  5. #EuropaSeSiente Close-to-You Category
  6. #EuropaMovesYou: Strategic Autonomy Category

 

Calendar and key dates

  • Until 12 June: Deadline for submitting applications through the official form.
  • 29 June: Official announcement of the semi-finalist projects.
  • Until 31 July: Deadline for semi-finalists to submit their 3-minute short videos.
  • Second half of September: Online semi-finals and public voting.
  • November: Grand final during the 2026 Annual Event (venue to be confirmed).

 

Information and rules

All information and the competition rules are available on the European funds portal: