New Europe‑wide competition invites young artists to engage the public at a key moment for delivery of EU methane rules.
22 April 2026 - Brussels, Belgium: Environmental Defense Fund Europe (EDFE) today launches the CH4rt Competition – a Europe-wide call to young creatives to make methane (CH4) visible through art. The competition opens on Earth Day, underscoring its focus on community climate action, as the EU Methane Regulation (EUMR) – one of the most comprehensive legal frameworks to limit methane emissions across the fossil fuel supply chain – progresses through its implementation phase.
Part of EDFE’s Time for CH4nge campaign, the CH4rt Competition challenges young artists to transform man-made methane emissions – an invisible but urgent climate issue – into something people can see, feel and act on. The competition is delivered in partnership with European Youth Parliament (EYP) to engage climate conscious citizens and leaders of the future.
Helen Spence-Jackson, Executive Director of Environmental Defense Fund Europe and Chair of the CH4rt Competition jury, said: “Reducing man-made methane emissions is one of the most immediate and effective actions available to slow global warming. Methane is a major driver of temperature rise today, and cutting emissions now delivers measurable climate benefits within this decade. The EU Methane Regulation gives Europe a strong foundation, but public awareness and understanding are essential to turning it into impact. CH4rt uses art to help move methane further into public discourse, bringing fresh perspectives to a critical climate opportunity.”
Methane is responsible for roughly one-third of today’s global warming. Over 20 years, it traps over 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide (CO2), making it a major driver of near-term warming. But because methane stays in the atmosphere for only about a decade, cutting emissions now can act as an emergency brake on rising temperatures.
EUMR provides the legal framework to reduce emissions, but sustained public awareness is critical to ensuring these reductions are understood, supported and properly implemented. CH4rt makes an invisible climate challenge visible, giving young people and the wider public a way to connect with the action needed to cut emissions and slow warming.
Lena Schilling, Member of the European Parliament (MEP), adds: “Young people are clear that climate action cannot stop at promises – it has to show up in real-world change. The EU Methane Regulation is now in its delivery phase, and public understanding will be critical to making it work. CH4rt creates a space for young people to engage with that moment, to translate policy into something tangible, and to push all of us in the EU institutions to follow through."
The competition will be judged by an independent expert jury of award-winning artists, scientists and science communicators, and a special MEP Prize will be selected and awarded by Lena Schilling. The overall winner and MEP Prize recipient will each receive a €1,000 cash prize, with two runners-up receiving €500 each. Winners and runners-up will be formally recognised at a ceremony in Brussels in September 2026, where they will have the opportunity to present their work to policymakers, scientists, other creatives and civil society leaders.
All shortlisted works will feature in a curated online gallery, as part of the Time for CH4nge campaign, with year-long amplification across the EU to spotlight young people’s creative responses to one of Europe’s most urgent climate challenges.
Member of the Governing Body of EYP, Ali-Maeve Fitzgerald, said: “At the European Youth Parliament, we see strong interest from young people in engaging with climate challenges and contributing their perspectives. Through CH4rt, we’re pleased to support an initiative that creates space for that engagement in a creative way. With a network of over 30,000 young people across Europe, EYP is helping bring new voices into the broader conversation around methane.”
The CH4rt Competition is free to enter and open now. Young creatives aged 18 to 30 who are citizens of an EU member state may submit original works in any 2D medium – from illustration and painting to digital art and collage – responding to the brief: Make the invisible visible. Entries close at 23:59 CET on 14 June 2026. Full details, artist’s brief, entry requirements and competition rules are available at CH4rt.timeforch4nge.org.