The European Commission decided to dedicate the fourth edition of the EU Health Award to initiatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that contributed or are contributing to a higher level of public health in the European Union by working to prevent tobacco use. The type of initiatives that could be submitted includes: awareness and information strategies for effective community change, including school programs and /or involvement of parents; promoting tobacco free norms targeted at adolescents and young adults, and interventions designed to reduce the accessibility of tobacco products to the age groups concerned, IPN reports.

In a press release, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection makes reference to the statements made by Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis, who said that 70% of smokers in Europe start before the age of 18.

“It is vital that we focus our tobacco prevention efforts on young Europeans […] The work of NGOs in communicating to citizens about the dangers of tobacco is an invaluable part of our overall effort. It will therefore be my great pleasure to recognize and reward outstanding initiatives by NGOs which help young people refrain from tobacco use,” stated Vytenis Andriukaitis.

The prizes will rank as follows: 1st prize - €20 000; 2nd prize - €15 000; 3rd prize - €10 000.

Further information, including the eligibility criteria and awarding rules, is available at https://ec.europa.eu/health/ngo_award/home_en. Submission deadline is June 15. The submission form can be found at https://ec.europa.eu/health/ngo_award/submit_your_project. In September, the jury will chose ten initiatives and the winning organizations will be announced in November. These will be awarded at an event in Brussels.