To promote the efforts made by different European ports to enhance the city port relations through innovative projects, ESPO decided in 2009 to give out an annual ESPO award on Social Integration of Ports. After the two first editions, it was decided to focus each year on one different aspect of social integration.
The themes addressed so far are: Creative Strategies to Communicate the Port to the Wider Public (2011), Youth (2012), Heritage (2013), Innovative Environmental Projects (2014), Relationship with Schools and Universities (2015), Nature in Ports (2016), Art and Cultural involvement of the port (2017) and Ports as a good work environment for everyone (2018).
The theme of this year is “Transparency and the role of social media in reaching out to the local community”.
The ESPO Award 2019 will go to the port authority that has developed a successful strategy to reach out to the local community and is succeeding in directly communicating with the port citizens. Using social media as a new way of communicating and demonstrating a high level of transparency about operational achievements, future strategies and environmental challenges and performance is becoming increasingly important for European ports who can only function and further develop if they receive the licence to operate from the local citizens.
Direct and transparent communication must make it possible for every citizen to follow the port in its successes and challenges. Moreover, it allows the dialogue with the citizens and, ideally, makes every citizen an ambassador for its port.
Every year, the winner is selected by an independent jury of international experts. The 11th ESPO Award will be officially handed out during an Award Ceremony and Dinner, which will take place on 13 November in Brussels.
More than 170 port projects have been submitted to compete for the ESPO Award on social integration of ports since its establishment in 2009.
To consult the pictures and the submitted projects of the previous editions, click here.
To get an insight of this year's submissions, click here and to get to know the shortlisted projects for 2019, click here!
WINNERS OF THE ESPO AWARD
