[1][2] Like the Charlemagne Prize, which has existed since 1949, the Youth Prize is named after Charlemagne, ruler of the Frankish Empire and founder of what became the Holy Roman Empire, who is buried in Aachen, Germany.
It was created under the direction of then European Parliament President, Hans-Gert Pöttering, who remains as a member of the Board of Directors of the Charlemagne Prize.
Source:[5] The selection of the prize winner takes place in two rounds with national winners first being selected by national-level juries set up by the European Parliament in each member state of the European Union.
To be eligible, each project must be run by young people between the ages of 16 and 30 years and be citizens or residents of one of the Member States.
National winners are invited to the final award ceremony which takes place in Aachen.