Following its success over the past 2 years, the EU4Ocean coalition announces the start of applications for its annual MakeEUBlue Awards recognising innovative and outstanding initiatives in the field of ocean literacy in Europe. The winners are to be announced at the European Maritime Day, which this year takes place on 30-31 May in Svendborg, Denmark.
The public voting is now open. It's time for you to chose your favourite ocean literacy project and cast your vote by 5 May.
VOTE NOW
Categories of the Awards
Three general awards navy blue, classic blue, and sky blue recognize the first, second, and third best initiatives responding to the EU4Ocean coalition principles.
These are complemented by four “special mentions”:
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Best professional organisation initiative;
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Best youth initiative;
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Best blue education initiative and best individual Blue School.
The winners will benefit from multiple prizes, including an official award certificate, a hand-made ocean-themed trophy, and a financial reward.
Select your 5 favourite projects
Get to know the project below and vote for your favourite one!
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Watershed of the future  The main objectives are co-creating the "Drop of Biodiversity" and collecting funds through action for the Polish Medical Mission for Africa, creating a game and coding, field activities and water research, familiarizing students with water pollution and its effects, organizing a scientific trip with the Primary School from Nowy Tomysl and, thanks to the funds raised, making it possible for teachers from partner schools in Portugal to come to Poland and conduct part of the classes with them at the Primary School in Dąbrówka, along with setting up a hydroponic garden.
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Waters Have No Borders  As a de facto divided Mediterranean island, Cyprus confronts a looming threat to its maritime sanctuary resulting from the division. Therefore, my project is not merely a collective endeavour, but rather a meticulously crafted project aimed at the preservation and elevation of the marine environment into an emblem of unity, underpinned by the principle that waters recognize no borders or divisions as the name suggests.
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SHORE  It will be focusing on engaging & mobilizing students, teachers, and schools to implement the Mission Ocean objectives to increase ocean literacy with the help of community activities & cooperation projects. It will last 36 months and cover five different regional areas (Baltic, Black, Mediterranean Sea, Danube & Rhine River Area) with its 14 consortium partners. It will set up Country Hubs to offer guidance for the educators and schools on Blue Curricula, develop and implement their projects and use open schooling methodologies.
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Annual AZTI's summer school on marine research  Each year, the school explores new topics of marine research, trying to open new fields of work for early career researchers, working in the edge of science and policy, to enhance the management of marine ecosystems. The school constitutes a room for discussion of new approaches, methods, views, etc., in marine research, allowing to show the society and policy-makers the progress in research to achieve sustainable use of the ocean, always working in advancing new topics for the future.
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Ocean Literacy and Education for Sustainability  This work has had four areas of activity, including scientific research and humanistic reflection, teaching vocation and comprehensive commitment at all levels (from kindergarden to the University), scientific and cultural dissemination, activism with active participation in cleaning, conservation, management and sustainable development guidelines at different scales.
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Life CONCEPTU MARIS 
It is a five -years project aimed at increasing the conservation of cetaceans and sea turtles in the Mediterranean Sea. One of the concrete conservation actions, is the developpement of a course dedicated to crews and seafarers, on the importance of the Mediterranean sea and on the risk of collision of marine megafauna with ships.
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Small Scientist  The project created a picture book for children aged three to five years to be used as a central tool for ocean literacy in 256 Norwegian early childhood education centres to teach young children ocean science, promote critical thinking, and highlight female scientists as positive role models.
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Blue MozChildren  It contributes to psychoenvironmental development in children, develop children's enthusiasm about the ocean and show the importance of the oceans in Mozambique. Contribute to the protection, preservation, conservation and recovery and sustainable management of the coastal environment, landscape, heritage and culture asses and values of the Mozambican coast.
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SeaPaCS  It explored and raise awareness about the consequences of marine plastic pollution on local biodiversity by engaging multiple citizen groups (fishermen cooperatives (including North-African migrant), students and teachers, associations, sailors and divers, scientists, video makers and photographers).
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Blueat la pescheria sostenibile  It is the Mariscadoras project dedicated to the search for new scenarios for the management of Alien Species that are spreading in the Mediterranean due to the transformation of the Marine Environment after the spreading of the Blue crab In the Mediterranean Sea.
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Plastic soup  Children have discovered what their own role is in this and have thought about how they can deal with it more consciously. We think it is very important that children are aware of the influence they have on the sea and therefore their own lives. In this way, children from an early age can make a significant contribution to the plastic soup in the sea. We think it is very important that children are aware of the influence they have on the sea and therefore their own lives. In this way, children from an early age can make a significant contribution to the plastic soup in the sea.
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Fish, seasons and locally sourced 
Production of a poster aimed at fish eaters on the French Atlantic coast (Bay of Biscay and Atlantique Bretagne Nord - Manche). In calendar form, it highlights the seasonal nature of seafood products, based on their life cycle, fishing techniques and our desire to respect the diversity of life present in the ocean.
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Copenhagen Blue Biodiversity  The project explored innovative initiatives restoring and increasing the biodiversity of Copenhagen’s water bodies. An integrated artificial reef prototype was developed in order to host marine organisms in the harbour.
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CATaMARà  It aims to raise awareness about the natural values of the Natura 2000 Network in marine and coastal areas of Catalonia, as part of the European conservation efforts. While strengthening environmental education in the region, this project aims to encourage participation from various social and educational groups, economic sectors, and public administration.
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Sunset Docks Program  The main mission is to protect and restore the health of our ocean and waters through research and innovation, citizen engagement, and blue investments. The Programme focuses on transforming traditionally "grey" port infrastructures into vibrant, sustainable spaces that evoke natural processes in artificial environments. |
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Kids Dive
It is an ongoing ocean literacy program designed by scientists to raise awareness on the urgency to protect marine biodiversity, promoting sustainability and contributing to an informed and proactive young generation. We accomplish this goal the best way we know: by scuba diving. |
Help a Scientist  The project is founded and conducted by the Department of Education at the Nobel Prize Museum. The project brings together high school students, teachers and researchers in an authentic research project with researchers who need help from students.
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Studies on the use of locally available alternative renewable seaweed  This part of the study is directed toward the analysis of the future trend and performances of composting seaweed wastes. It focus on the effect of various seaweed species on plant growth and development with an emphasis on the use of this renewable bio-resource in sustainable agriculture of northern fertilizers raw materials system.
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Les villes flottantes  It aims to recreate a sense of the sea in cities that are far removed from it. The aim of the "floating cities" project is to raise awareness of existing solutions to climate change and rising sea levels. By bringing together scientific content, art and cultural mediation, the project will create links between the various players in the area, while at the same time popularising content that is sometimes difficult to grasp.
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We are Blue Schools  It aims to certify 100 Mallorcan schools as Blue Schools and enter the EU BlueSchool Network by creating a truegrass-roots approach that includes teachers, schools and local environmental actors while they develop different activities related with the ocean and environmental sustainability.
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True Tales for Ocean Rebels
It aims to write and illustrate sea anecdotes for children. The ocean is teeming with fairytale-like creatures whose fantastic worlds are nevertheless true. We aim to create a book that emancipates a new generation of ocean stewards, where young people’s spirit of discovery is nurtured by captivating ocean protagonists who, for instance, illuminate tides, possess three hearts, or a hauntingly transparent head.
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Supporting the development of socially-inclusive Blue Challenges in schools  It aims developing, implementing, and evaluating innovative approaches to integrate marine sciences, issues and challenges in the curriculum and educational activities of schools in different Mediterranean countries based on four key principles: co-building, inclusivity, interactivity and sustainability.
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Scientists meet Artists  It was created as a meeting place and dialogue between two very different disciplines: Science and Art. This initiative, whose first edition was completed in 2021, aims to establish a collaboration between researchers of the Campus do Mar network and the Marine Research Center of the University of Vigo, and illustrators who develop their work in Spain and Portugal. |
Plastic: from production to reduction in 5  It aims to provide school and university students with knowledge of the marine plastic problem, teaching them about the origins, production and recycling of plastic, looking at possible solutions and ways to avoid short-lived and single-use plastic, encouraging them to change their ways at home, school, university or their workplace and kick their single-use plastic habits. |
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BlueNIGHTs  It aims to strengthen the link between researchers and their local area by organising events and outreach activities in cities representing the EU's main RSAs. The project objective is to bring the many facets and faces of people working in science and marine research closer to European citizens and schoolchildren.
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Mares da Fin do Mundo  It is a locally rooted initiative, based on the rural coast of Galicia, yet boasting a global reach. Dedicated to celebrating the maritime environment and promoting artisanal fishing practices through documentary films, the festival aims to foster awareness about the need to preserve one of our planet's most precious resources: the sea.
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Storie Mediterranee  It aims to encourage students of the new generation to become actively involved in conservation activism by sharing with them authentic stories about the marine environment. The students are involved in the project by the University of Padova offering hands-on experience on how to discover and contribute to the conservation of the marine ecosystem.
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Ocean Gallery  It temporarily transforms a vacant retail space into a vibrant and inspiring space to inspire people to protect the oceans. Thus, for a short time, a special photo gallery enriches Stuttgart’s city center. The works of Stuttgart-based photographer Julia Ochs capture the many facets, colours and shapes of our oceans.
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Educational activities at the Malta National Aquarium  To raise awareness about the different threats faced by our ocean such as overfishing, bycatch, pollution, climate change, etc, as well as bring the students closer to the ocean especially in island like Malta which is completely surrounded by the sea but in which most people are unfortunately completely disconnected from it.
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