Deadline: 18 September 2025

The Youth4Ocean Forum invites young students, educators, artists, advocates, entrepreneurs, innovators, and researchers who are developing and implementing initiatives supporting the sustainable blue economy to become the next EU Young Ocean Advocates, joining a community of over 500 young ocean changemakers from all over Europe.

Topics

Projects must be relevant to EU seas and waters and can take many forms and be related to various domains:

• Ocean conservation;
• Business, technology and Blue Economy related to sustainable use of marineresources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of marineecosystems;
• Responsible research and innovation to solve marine and societal challenges;
• Community engagement through work with local communities to solve local marine and social challenges, and with the potential for social acceptance.
• Culture and arts: work or artistic expression relating to the ocean – visual arts (drawing, painting, photography, filmmaking, sculpting, etc.), literature (fiction, drama, poetry) and performing arts (dance, music, theatre), education and sports.

In addition, they may be related with many sectors: Marine biology and biodiversity, Marine education and ocean literacy, Marine science communication, Marine Protected Areas, Maritime Spatial Planning, Fishing and aquaculture, Marine biotechnology, Maritime transport, Marine extraction, Deep-sea mining, Marine pollution, Offshore wind and ocean enegy, Climate change adaptation and resilience, High seas and Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, Coastal tourism, Water sports, and Water quality.

Eligibility

Candidates must be aged 16-30 years old, based in the EU, and working on a project that is focused on EU seas, rivers, and waters

Advantages

Selected candidates will:

• Receive accreditation as an EU Young Ocean Advocate from the European Commission
• Access tailored mentoring services, visibility and networking opportunities with senior experts to help develop, upscale, or replicate your project
• Get the chance to collaborate and exchange ideas with a community of more than 500 young ocean advocates from all around Europe
• Participate in networking activities and access opportunities to develop collaborative projects that advance Ocean Literacy within the framework of the EU4Ocean Coalition.

How to apply

Applications are done here.

Supporting material

Additional information about the application process and the benefits of becoming a Young Ocean Advocate is available here.