The principle of EYP is to offer a forum for constructive debate for the youth of Europe on matters that affect the whole of Europe. The jury criteria below thus give an indication of the specific qualities and abilities sought – the criteria are given in descending order of importance.

1. Ability to grasp tide of debate, respond to issues raised, and move the debate forward
   The jury will be looking for teams who listen carefully to debate and who thus can respond to the points made, grasping the tide of debate and moving the debate forward. Teams who do not pay attention to what is said in debate and continually repeat points already made will not impress.
2. Ability to work as a team with full participation by all delegation members
   The ability to work as a team is to be prized. Nevertheless, a team’s strength comes from its individuals, and the jury firmly believe that every individual has something positive to contribute. As such, it is hoped every member of the team will make a point in debate, as well as participating fully in the team’s preparation.
3. Ability to develop and learn from new situations
   A successful team will show an ability to learn from the experience of the conference and to develop their skills in the fields outlined in these criteria.
4. Constructive and respectful attitude in debate
   It is important for teams to respect EYP parliamentary procedure and present their arguments without causing offence or trivialising debate. Indeed teams which are constructive – by supporting points they agree with, by coming up with alternative approaches to those presented, and by giving concrete reasons for a particular stance – will be noted very positively by the jury.
5. Evidence of preparation and research of the issues
   The jury will be looking for argument based on a sound grasp of the issues across all the debates and not just the debates in which the team is the ‘main’ proposer or opposer. Teams which have done insufficient preparation and research will let themselves down by being strong on rhetoric but weak on substance.
6. Ability to present oneself clearly and engage the audience
   The emphasis is on effectively communicating one’s ideas to the other delegates. Good structure, diction and use of humour and passion can help in this, but most important is getting the message across – the jury recognises there are many different styles of doing this.