Migrants in Europe

Migration is a difficult subject to address in times of crisis and high unemployment. It gets a bad press – because migrants are scapegoats for problems; because the migration policies in Europe have not always functioned at their best; or simply because good news and positive stories do not easily gain space in the media nowadays.

However, it is undeniable that migration can help diversify societies, enriching and invigorating them. Migrants bring economic dynamism, entrepreneurship, new ideas and also create jobs.

Contrary to a common misunderstanding, legal migrants do not take jobs from local workers and do not bring wages down. Despite an overall high EU unemployment rate, migrants help to fill labour and skills shortages that increasingly appear in some sectors of the economy.

In today's Europe, where the working age population is shrinking, migrants also contribute to addressing these demographic challenges.

By providing labour and skills that can't easily be found in Europe, by working, earning, spending money and paying taxes, by setting up companies and creating jobs, by using services and buying products that other actors are offering, migrants are contributing to make the European economy move.

THE COMPETITION

The multimedia Competition "Migrants in Europe" aims to give young artists and communicators an opportunity to reflect on the contribution of migrants to the European society today. The Competition should also serve as a first step towards more debate, information and opinion exchange.

The Competition is aimed at students who are over 18 years old and enrolled in art, graphic and communication schools in all EU countries and Croatia. The schools are to present the works in three categories – Poster, Photography and Video. Each school can present one or several works in one or several categories. The works will be judged at the national level and the best works will be forwarded to a European jury that will decide on European winners. A public internet vote will also take place on this website. The authors of the 30 European finalist works will travel to Brussels to attend a prize-giving ceremony with expected participation by Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Home Affairs. The schools whose students win first prizes in the three categories and the first prize in the public vote will receive an award of €10,000 each.