Official Competition Rules: EuropaNum Awards 2026

Article 1: Purpose of the Competition 
The EuropaNum Awards 2026 are established to reward European excellence in digital sovereignty. The competition promotes solutions that ensure technological independence, data integrity, and compliance with European Union regulations.

Article 2: Organizer
The competition is organized by the EuropaNum Association, located at 1221 route de Saint-Cyr, 69460 Salles-Arbuissonnas en Beaujolais, France. EuropaNum acts as the architect of compliance and the guarantor of the impartiality of the selection process.

Article 3: Eligibility Criteria
The competition is open to any organization (private company, public body, research center) with its headquarters located in a country within the European Economic Area (EEA). The submitted solution must already be available on the market or in an advanced stage of operational deployment. Applications may be submitted in either French or English.

Article 4: Participation Fees 
Participation in the EuropaNum Awards is free of charge. It implies tacit membership in the association. This membership is free for the first year. It becomes subject to a fee in the second year, unless an objection is sent to EuropaNum before January 1, 2027. The membership fee schedule is available upon request.

Article 5: Jury and Selection Process 
The Initial Jury is composed of independent experts who are members of the EuropaNum association. This jury analyzes the application files, calculates the EuropaNum Sovereignty Index (IndSEu), and selects three candidates per category for the final phase of the competition.For each category, the "Grand Oral" Jury determines the winner from the list provided by the Initial Jury. The Grand Oral Jury is composed of one member of the Initial Jury, European institutional representatives, and specialized journalists.Jury members commit to strict confidentiality and to declaring any potential conflict of interest. The jury's decisions are sovereign and final.

Article 6: Data Protection and Business Secrets 
All data submitted as part of the application file is protected by business secrecy. EuropaNum undertakes to process this information in accordance with the GDPR and to use it strictly for the purposes of the competition evaluation.

Article 7: Rights and Commitments of Candidates and Winners 
Candidates agree to be included in the public list of EuropaNum Awards solutions and services. This list is published as a ranking by category based on the EuropaNum Sovereignty Index (IndSEu). It is published for one year on the EuropaNum website, regardless of the IndSEu value obtained and assigned by the jury.The winner of each category is granted the right to use the "EuropaNum Award Winner 2026" label on their marketing and commercial materials for an unlimited duration. They also benefit from featured coverage in partner press outlets.Each category winner commits to participating in the Grand Oral Jury the following year for their respective category, unless they are competing again in that category.

Article 8: Timeline
Step 1: Launch of the "EuropaNum Award 2026" competition.
Step 2: Complete and submit the application file before July 10, 2026.
Step 3: Selection of finalists by a jury of EuropaNum experts from July 15 to August 31, 2026.
Step 4: Award finalists present their projects and engage with the Grand Oral Jury during the week of November 9, 2026.
Step 5: Publication of the "EuropaNum Awards" results and Winners on November 18, 2026.
Step 6: "EuropaNum Awards / Be SOVEREIGN" ceremony in Paris.

Application files must be sent via email or other means to EuropaNum in PDF format, signed with a qualified electronic signature, before July 10, 2026. Applications may be written in French or English.

Upon receipt and validation of the file's completeness, the name of the solution or service will be added to the public list of candidates in the appropriate category. This list will be available on the website:  https://www.europanum.eu 

Article 9: Ethics and Liability 
Any candidate providing misleading or falsified information will be immediately disqualified. Winners commit to maintaining the level of sovereign standards that justified their award for the entire duration of the label's use.

Article 10: Disputes 
These rules are governed by French law. Any dispute relating to the interpretation or execution of these rules shall be brought before the competent courts of Paris.