In Cannes 38 top students received an award of up to €2,000

On 26 August the mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, presented 38 lycée graduates with the Jacqueline de Romilly Educational Excellence Award. The scholarship of up to €2,000 is intended for those who passed the baccalauréat with a “Très bien” distinction and who are continuing their studies on a prestigious programme.

Supporting young talent

The ceremony took place at Cannes town hall on Tuesday 26 August 2026. The city established the award in 2015 to encourage graduates with high baccalauréat results: since then 368 people have received it, reports the Cannes town hall. This year the city presented the award to 38 students from Cannes lycées who passed their exams with distinction.

The scholarship amounts to up to €2,000 and can be renewed once. As David Lisnard explained, the aim of the programme is “to provide real and effective support to deserving young people”. The funds are aimed at those who do not qualify for standard state grants but who nonetheless face financial difficulties. Among this year’s awardees, a third are already recipients of state scholarships. Targeted assistance for schoolchildren and students on the Riviera is distributed through other channels too — from the school allowance ARS to free school kits in Antibes.

Eligibility for the award

To become a recipient of the award, candidates must meet several criteria:

• obtain a general or technological baccalauréat diploma with the mention “Très bien”;
• be registered as residing in Cannes;
• be accepted onto a programme that the city considers “prestigious”: a classe préparatoire for the grandes écoles, medicine, law or political science.

Selection was based on an individual interview at the Youth Information Office (BIJ) and a cover letter addressed to the mayor; the shortlist was then approved by a jury.

Scholarship recipients’ views

For many graduates the award has been not only a recognition but also practical help at the start of independent life. “It is a great honour to receive an excellent grade and to be recognised here. I am very pleased, and the scholarship is important too,” says 18-year-old Sam, who is entering a classe préparatoire attached to a business school in Lyon. He plans to spend the money on a tablet for studying mathematics.

Seventeen-year-old Nathanaël, a future student at a Parisian scientific preparatory school, admits: “The scholarship will make it easier for me to pay for accommodation in Paris, where everything is getting more expensive.” Ava, also entering a Parisian preparatory class, intends to use the money for daily expenses and study materials. Another scholar, 18-year-old Enzo, is going to study for a bachelor’s degree in management at the University of Warwick in England: for him the award symbolises recognition of a year’s hard work.

Investing in Cannes’s future

The city views the programme as a long-term investment. “We are not afraid to say that we need to cultivate an elite. This scholarship is a very pragmatic choice. I want some of these young people, having acquired interesting professions, to return to work in Cannes,” emphasises David Lisnard. The programme aims not only to support students at the start of their careers but also to strengthen the city’s future workforce capacity.

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Photo: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels