13.1 The award is presented to the European director(s) (see 3.2) of a European film suitable and mainly recommended for young people, having to be appropriate for an audience of 12-year-olds.
13.2 Eligible are full-length fiction, animation or documentary films intended for theatrical release which meet the general eligibility criteria (see 3).
13.3 Furthermore, eligible films must fulfil at least one of the following criteria:
- To have been selected for at least one major festival (feature film festivals, documentary festivals or children’s and youth film festivals)
- To have been theatrically released in at least two countries or sold for such release
The Academy Board has the right to refrain from this rule in exceptional cases.
13.4 A committee of three film professionals and four representatives of the young audience (recruited from the Consultation Group of the European Film Academy’s European Film Club), each from a different country, nominates three films.
13.5 The three nominated films are screened to young audiences aged between 12 and 19 in cinemas and online in 30+ European countries as follows:
- During the European Award Season (18 November 2025 to 16 January 2026) in partnering cinemas (limited to up to 2 public screenings)
- Online for the members of European Film Club during a limited period of time
- Online in 3 Watch Parties for the members of the European Film Club and pre-registered young audiences
- On 17 January 2026, the day of the European Film Awards, in a concluding jury event organised by a network of partners across Europe
13.6 In order to determine the winning film, young audiences will rate the three nominations individually via a QR code following each screening. The results will then be tabulated and balanced.
