ETF New Learning Award 2026 - Call for Innovative Teaching and Learning practices, tools and resources
The European Training Foundation (ETF) invites educators - teachers, trainers, coaches, mentors - to apply for our ETF New Learning Award 2026.
We’re looking for creative teaching and learning approaches aiming at helping learners to develop key competences and implemented across subjects and in real-life contexts. Show us how your teaching practice integrates more than one European key competences – digital, citizenship, sustainability, entrepreneurial, STEM/STEAM, or personal and social and learning to learn competences!
Submissions for the ETF New Learning Award 2025 could come from formal education or non-formal and adult learning and are open to individual educators or teams from schools, training centres, companies, and learning communities.
Finalists will be invited to an International Learning Innovation Event in Brussels, in Spring 2026, to share, co-create, and network with peers across Europe and ETF partner countries.
Selected innovators will earn an ETF Open Badge and visibility through the ETF Community of Innovative Educators.
Apply now by filling this submission form.
The deadline for submission of applications is December 15th, 2025.
About this Award
What is the call about?
This award aims to give visibility and allow peer learning among education practitioners and policy makers looking for innovative teaching and learning practices on cross-curricula, cross-subject, integrated approach to the development of key competences. Such teaching methods put learning outcomes in the centre and integrate them into the “canvas” of education and training curricula, designing learning experiences which link learning with real-life contexts, promoting inclusive, future-ready, and competence-based education systems.
In line with the Union of skills goals, and supporting European key competences for lifelong learning, this award addresses the talents and creativity of educators – teachers, trainers, mentors, coachers, school managers and education researchers – designing and implementing teaching and learning practices that integrate or combine learning outcomes for at least two of the following, selected key competences: digital, citizenship, entrepreneurial, STEM/STEAM competences, as well as personal, social and learning to learn competence. These competences are essential in both formal and informal learning throughout lives across the EU member states and its partner countries.
We are looking for examples of practices that connect key competences across curricula, learning processes, making learning personalised and adapted to different needs, interests, and learning styles of children, young people and adults. Integrated approach strengthens collaboration between educators, among institutions, and engages families, communities, and workplaces into competence-based learning.
What are we looking for?
We will accept applications for two categories of innovations:
- INNOVATIVE PRACTICES & METHODS: creative, own examples of how you individually or your team/schools/enterprises/learning centre implements a cross-curricular, integrated approach to the development of key competence learning outcomes, combining at least two European key competences. We accept innovative concepts, practices, methodologies based on active engagement of learners. The focus is on original, collaborative teaching and learning methods directed to the key competence integration.
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INNOVATIVE TEACHING/LEARNING TOOLS* & RESOURCES: descriptions, examples or links to your own innovative tools, platforms, apps, teaching resources, learning materials. These could be online tools, AI-based solutions, platforms or physical, paper-based or any other resources - developed or adopted by the applicants - that support teachers and learners in promoting cross-curricular learning, real-life application of competences and integration of key competence learning outcomes into various types of curricula and teaching and learning practices.
* This includes innovations based on the tools developed by the ETF: Scaffold, FormA, Teacher Booster, READY model – if the applicants demonstrate how they have been creatively and originally applying them in their own teaching and learning context.
Who is behind the initiative?
The call is initiated by European Training Foundation (ETF) in cooperation with partner organizations: European Association of Institutes of Vocational Training (EVBB), European Vocational Training Association (EVTA), European Forum of Technical and Vocational Training (EfVET) and Lifelong Learning Platform - European Civil Society for Education (LLLP).
What is the deadline for submission?
The deadline for submission of application is 15.12.2025, 23:59.
What will happen next?
The international jury will announce the award finalists by January 31st, 2026, and they all will receive an invitation to the international, highly participatory event in Brussels in spring 2026. The programme of the event will include the final round of the award competition. Special awards and nominations might be announced by the International Jury, based on the scope of applications.
The event will contribute to expanding a growing village of likeminded people, starting from the ETF Community of Innovative Educators and bringing together innovative teaching & learning professionals, policy makers, members of professional networks, communities and associations across the EU member states and partner countries. The event will offer networking opportunities, capacity-building workshops, peer exchange, and creative showcases of global best practices.
The winning practices will be promoted internationally by the ETF and its partners to raise awareness among decision-makers, reinforcing the central role of key competences in the evolving Union of Skills agenda. The winners and finalists of this award will receive the ETF Open Badge recognising your contribution, and your practice will be displayed through the ETF Community of Innovative Educators. Your work might also become a part of the ETF publication.
Which applications are eligible?
We will accept applications from the EU member states and ETF partner countries.
Eligible practices could come from various parts of life-long learning systems: general (secondary) education, vocational education and training, adult learning, continuing professional development, nonformal learning, SME/in-company training, etc.
Preference will be given to applications with the potential for scalability in other settings and those contributing to increased social inclusion of learners, personalised, learner-driven approach, supporting peer learning and institutional partnerships.
Which key competences are supported by this call?
Applications should demonstrate integration of two or more of the European Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, with the focus on the following: Digital, Citizenship, Sustainability, Entrepreneurial, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), as well as Personal, Social and Learning to Learn Competences.
How to apply?
Complete this online submission form in English, completing all fields are fully completed and providing the necessary evidence (e.g, links) accessible to the Jury. In case of references to digital sources or webpages not in English the Jury will use AI-powered translation tools.. If you submit more than one practice, consider them as separate applications.
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