Ride the Wave and Take Part in the #YoungOceanWaves Video and Photo Contest

The #YoungOceanWaves contest, organised in cooperation with Ecologic Institute and EurOcean on behalf of the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), encourages everybody – especially young people – to show what the ocean means for them: marvellous colours and living creatures? Fun? Sports? Crazy or relaxed adventures? Delicious food or jobs?

Join the #YoungOceanWaves contest and show what the ocean means to you!

How does it work?

The contest runs from 14 July to 18 August 2020, midnight. To take part in the competition, just follow these steps:

• Share a (maximum) 30 second video or a photo on your public Instagram account, showing what the ocean means to you.
• Use the required hashtag #YoungOceanWaves in your post.
• Feel free to add #EU4Ocean and #Youth4Ocean in your post.
• Be creative! If you make videos, feel free to express yourself as you like: choose a subject... or be the subject! Move, dance, sing, play, draw, paint, make collages, build something, recite a poem, or perform. Alternatively, if you post a picture, feel free to use filters, effects, collages, etc.

A Jury Panel that include representatives from DG MARE, Surfrider Foundation Europe, Women4Ocean, and Manaia Production, will select the winners. The 1st prize will get a Go Pro camera, but many more prizes are ready for the coolest entries!

Check the eligibility criteria and the specifications to create your entry and the contest rules here.

…And save the date! The first EU4Ocean workshop– Designing Ocean Literacy action in Europe will take place on 24-25 September 2020.

The winners of the contest will be awarded at the first EU4Ocean workshop – Designing Ocean Literacy action in Europe, organised by the EU4Ocean Coalition, on behalf of the European Commission.

Following the official announcement by the Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius during the first international Virtual Ocean Literacy Summit (World Ocean Day, June 8 2020), founding members of the EU4Ocean Platform have recently kicked-off their work: 76 organisations and initiatives eager to connect, collaborate and mobilise efforts on ocean literacy. Members gathered online to get to know each other, and shared ideas of collective actions on three priority themes: Climate and Ocean, Food from the Ocean, and Healthy and Clean Ocean.

At the same time, the Youth4Ocean Forum is gathering its founding members, a group of young people aged between 16 and 30 who are passionate about the ocean. Founding members have just met online to join forces to support changes in mindsets and practices across Europe that will contribute to a healthy and sustainable ocean.

This summer, the Network of European Blue Schools is being established to bring the ocean into classrooms – and students to the ocean! Teachers, school managers, marine educators and students will be provided a handbook to help them engage in the "Find the Blue" challenge. Students will create and implement practical action-oriented problem-solving educational projects addressing ocean issues and challenges. Successful projects will earn their school the European Blue School certification.

Ambition, organisation, process and tools supporting collective action 

Online workshops planned on 24 September include:

• The EU4Ocean coalition: what, what for, how? (morning)
• Engaging in the EU4Ocean Platform (morning)
• Mobilising the Youth: the Youth4Ocean forum (afternoon)
• The Network of European Blue Schools: embarking on a journey for ocean literacy (afternoon)

Building momentum for collective actions

Online workshops planned on 25 September include:

• Building collective Ocean Literacy initiatives at the sea basin scale (morning) - accounting for the EU diversity, cultural richness and knowledge sharing 
• Paving the way to collective initiatives addressing key marine challenges on Climate and Ocean, Food from the Ocean, and Healthy and Clean Ocean (afternoon)

Save the date: 24–25 September and join the first EU4Ocean workshop – Designing Ocean Literacy action in Europe!

Bring your ideas, get inspired, and take action for the ocean.

For more information visit the Maritime Forum website. Registration to the event will open soon. Stay tuned!