SpongeBoost Opens Nominations for European Restoration Award

The EU-funded SpongeBoost project has opened nominations for the final SpongeBooster of the Year award, inviting people across Europe to recognise sponge-landscape restoration initiatives that improve natural water retention and strengthen resilience to floods and droughts. The nomination period runs until 31 October 2026, and eligible projects may be submitted by organisations, local authorities, community groups, partnerships or individuals through an online form. This is the first edition in which the project consortium is inviting its wider community to identify candidates for the final award.

SpongeBoost is a Horizon Europe project focused on restoring the natural sponge function of landscapes, an approach intended to help ecosystems retain and manage water more effectively. Its award highlights practical restoration as well as collaboration, environmental education, public engagement and the capacity to inspire comparable work elsewhere in Europe. The announcement describes these qualities as evidence of approaches worth sharing, rather than treating the award as a measure of scientific performance alone. The 2027 award will recognise one project after the consortium first selects three nominees for further information and a final assessment.

Eligible initiatives must contribute to restoring or improving natural water retention, have been implemented or substantially developed within the previous five years, and be located in an eligible European country. The geographic scope includes European Union Member States as well as Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Norway and the Balkan countries. Projects should primarily involve restoration, rewetting or other nature-based measures carried out in outdoor landscapes. SpongeBoost says it is particularly interested in projects that combine on-the-ground restoration with strong local cooperation, innovative methods, environmental education or activities designed to help others learn from and reproduce their results.

After reviewing all nominations, the SpongeBoost consortium will contact three selected projects and invite them to provide further details about their work. The winner will then be chosen from that group. Members of the consortium will visit the winning project for a field visit, where they will present the award and exchange experiences with the people behind the initiative. The visit is also intended to showcase the project’s approaches and lessons for other restoration initiatives across Europe. The announcement does not provide a judging rubric, a prize amount or a claim that the nominated projects have been independently evaluated for a defined outcome such as a measured reduction in flooding or drought impacts.

The final award builds on previous editions that highlighted examples of sponge-landscape restoration and drew attention to projects addressing land and water challenges. Because the call is open to anyone, nominees are not limited to formal research partnerships, although the project must meet the stated eligibility criteria. The announcement positions public participation and recognition as central parts of the 2027 process: a project may be nominated by its participants or by others who regard it as inspiring or deserving of wider recognition. SpongeBoost is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101112906, and the announcement states that the views expressed are those of the author or authors and do not necessarily represent those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency.

Subject of Research: SpongeBoost award nominations for European landscape restoration

Article Title: SpongeBoost invites nominations for inspiring restoration projects across Europe

Article References: SpongeBoost invites nominations for inspiring restoration projects across Europe. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

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Keywords: SpongeBoost, landscape restoration, natural water retention, flood resilience, drought resilience, nature-based solutions, rewetting, European Union, environmental awards, invites, nominations, inspiring