The overall winner will be announced during the MEDEA Awards Ceremony, which takes place on 14 November during the Media & Learning Conference 2012 in Brussels.

This year the competition attracted 213 entries from 32 countries. Those entering could choose between submitting their entry as a production made by a professional company or semi-professional production unit, or as one made by teachers, students, learners, parents, professors, individual or organisational representatives in primary education, secondary education, higher education, adult education, and vocational education and training. This means that this year there will be two main awards, one for each category, and each winner will receive a MEDEA Statuette.

There will also be two additional prizes awarded. The first of these is the Special Prize for European Collaboration in the creation of Educational Media 2012, for which 54 submissions were made. The second special prize is for Educational Media Encouraging Active Ageing, which was set up to coincide with the European Year of Active Aging and Solidarity between Generations. There were 37 submissions in this category.

In addition to the finalists, the Organising Committee also announced fifteen entries that are Highly Commended. These are

• A letter, a Story, Greek Educational RadioTelevision/Greek Ministry of Education (Greece),
• Cartini Animati, Istituto Scolastico Comprensivo Statale Ponte San Nicolò (Italy),
• Child's Play: An Educational Issue, Deirdre Shelly (Ireland),
• Crocodox, Unaymedia, (Spain),
• Don Giovanni dans tous ses écrans, Université Rennes 2-CREA (France),
• El placer de la experiencia (I) y (II), La Red Información (Spain),
• Face Up, Ariel Trust (UK),
• Forum of Generations @School, Obchodna academia (Slovakia),
• Gloria trova un vero padrone, Giunti Progetti Educativi (Italy),
• In Trouble, UAM (Spain),
• Mustard vs Ketchup, Istituto professionale "Tommaso D'Oria" (Italy),
• Online Projects among Greek and French EFL Students, Maria Markaki School of Foreign Languages (Greece),
• Plataforma -œCuenta Regresiva- 1 acción = 1 cambio, Educ.ar S.E. (Argentina),
• Projekt "Podróże kształcą", Miejski Zespół Szkól nr 2 (Poland),
• Think Sustainable - Little Eco-houses, Ministero Istruzione MIUR, Italy.

All entries that are finalists as well as those that are highly commended will be added to the MEDEA Awards' media gallery of showcases highlighting excellence in the use of media to support teaching and learning.

The finalists were chosen by a jury made up of ninety education and media experts from 32 countries who evaluated the MEDEA entries in late September and early October. All finalists will attend the Awards ceremony on 14 November, which is a highlight of the Media & Learning Conference. Presentations by each of the finalists will be included in the Conference programme.