EU4OCean is thrilled to announce the winners of the Call for Action on the Challenge of the Year 2024, themed "Be a Blue Citizen: Ocean, Citizenship, and Democracy". This year's challenge brought together innovative ideas and impactful projects aimed at fostering ocean literacy and enhancing civic engagement in ocean protection.
After a competitive selection process, we are excited to reveal our two outstanding winners:
Young Citizens’ Council for the Ocean
Led by an inspiring team of young Europeans, this project seeks to empower youth to become active participants in shaping ocean governance. Through a series of discussions, workshops, and the creation of a manifesto, the Young Citizens’ Council for the Ocean will develop actionable recommendations for better ocean governance, focusing on the role of youth in fostering ocean literacy and democracy.
The project emphasizes the importance of Blue Citizenship—a cosmopolitan concept that connects ocean health to democratic participation. By engaging students from across Europe, this initiative will give a voice to the next generation of ocean advocates and provide a platform for them to influence policies on marine conservation and governance.
The Council will draw on partnerships with the Network of European Blue Schools and other EU4Ocean forums, ensuring that the youth perspective is represented at key European and international ocean conferences, such as the 2025 UN Ocean Conference and European Maritime Day. Their goal is to ensure that young people not only learn about the ocean but also have the tools and platforms to contribute to its protection at a policy level.
Learn more about the project:
Manifesto on global citizenship: https://wordpress.com/post/globalcitizenshipjfnd.wordpress.com/31 ,
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beabluecitizen/ : @beabluecitizen and @adami.nina ,
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-dietz-7b141620b/
SPLASH-EU
The SPLASH-EU project, standing for SuPporting a civic community of Advocacy for a healthy ocean Habitat in Europe, aims to bridge the gap between civic engagement and marine conservation by fostering a community of empowered ocean advocates. Starting in the Coimbra region of Portugal and Thessaloniki, Greece, SPLASH-EU will develop a scalable digital platform to encourage and facilitate collective action on ocean sustainability across Europe.
Through a series of community events, educational initiatives, and an ambassador training program, SPLASH-EU will create a network of engaged citizens ready to advocate for ocean health and democratic values. The project will raise awareness about critical ocean issues like marine pollution and overfishing while empowering individuals to take action locally and contribute to policy change.
With the platform's multilingual support and planned expansion to other EU countries, SPLASH-EU is poised to become a key driver of community-based marine conservation efforts, ensuring that citizens from diverse backgrounds can engage with and protect the ocean for future generations.
Learn more about the project:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MAREscience AND https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064133259318
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marescience/
Twitter: https://x.com/marescience
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marescience/ AND https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindmeup/
Prize and Recognition
Both winning projects will receive financial support of €40 000 to help realise their vision and contribute to a sustainable future for our ocean. We extend our congratulations to the Young Citizens’ Council for the Ocean and SPLASH-EU for their visionary work and dedication to fostering ocean literacy, civic participation, and democratic action.
Together, these projects will help build a bluer, more democratic, and sustainable Europe, where citizens of all ages are empowered to protect the ocean and shape its future.