EU support for aspiring journalists: apply for tenth edition of Youth4Regions programme

The European Commission has opened applications for the 10th edition of Youth4Regions, its flagship programme designed to support aspiring journalists. 

From 10 to 16 October 2026, selected participants will spend a week in Brussels, to benefit from expert-led training, hands-on newsroom experience, and exclusive access to both EU institutions and leading media organisations. 

This year’s programme welcomes submissions across four formats: written feature journalism, video journalism, audio journalism, and photojournalism. 

Youth4Regions is open to students and junior journalists from EU Member States, neighbouring countries (including Armenia and Azerbaijan), and candidate countries (including Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine), offering a unique opportunity to develop skills, build professional networks, and gain first-hand insight into EU affairs reporting.

Participants will also have the chance to compete for the prestigious Megalizzi – Niedzielski Prize, honouring exceptional young journalists. It will be awarded on 14 October 2026. Winners will also be appointed Cohesion Correspondents 2027 and be sent on a two-week field mission, reporting from the ground on cohesion policy projects and their impact on people’s lives across EU Member States.

The deadline for applications is 7 July.

A total of 300 young reporters have so far benefitted from such support since the launch of the programme, in 2017.

Find out more

Press release