Nominations are now open for the Neptune State Prize for Water that promote appreciation for water and its sustainable use in Austria.

The Neptun State Prize for Water is the Austrian environmental and innovation prize for sustainable water projects. It was founded in 1999 as the Neptun Water Prize to highlight the importance of water as a resource – especially in the areas of life, environment, economy, science, art and society. Since 2023, the Neptun Water Prize has been awarded as a state prize. Austria is one of the countries with the most water in Europe. This wealth brings with it great potential for use, but also the social responsibility and obligation to use the water resource carefully.

The Neptun State Prize for Water therefore aims to:

to highlight the importance of protecting domestic and global water resources,

Responses to global and societal challenges in the water sector to highlight,

to strengthen domestic know-how in the water sector and market opportunities for innovations from Austria,

the particular importance of participatory decision-making and open to address communication in water projects,

and to further increase the population’s active interest in water issues.

The partners of the Neptun State Prize for Water have also set themselves the goal of implementing the principles of gender mainstreaming in the tender, application and all other communication measures and acting accordingly. Concrete examples of application can be found in the following chapters.

The Main Prize

The main prize will be awarded to the project that best meets the evaluation criteria of all specialist categories.

• Nine nominated entries (the top three from each of the three specialist categories) will take part in the vote for the main prize. There are no other ways of participating, and it is not possible to apply directly for the winners will be chosen through a public online vote in the weeks leading up to the awards ceremony around World Water Day 2025 (March 22).
• The project with the most votes will be awarded the Neptun State Prize for Water at the awards ceremony around World Water Day 2025 (March 22). The Neptun main prize includes prize money of 3,000 euros and a trophy.
• The combination of jury-supported nominations from the specialist categories and a vote open to the public ensures that the winning project meets qualitative requirements as well as being relevant and broadly effective for society as a whole.

Categories

Objectives

• The category is primarily looking for projects, actions, initiatives and campaigns that help promote the protection and sustainable use of water as a resource through awareness-raising and knowledge transfer.
• In addition to (awareness) education projects, these include, for example, school projects, research programs for children and young people on water bodies, publications as well as exhibitions or special educational offers taking into account modern communication technologies and social media.

Fields of action

Submissions in the following fields of action will be given special consideration in the WaterEDUCATION category:

Raising awareness of the new challenges of climate change

• The consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly noticeable in Austria and are also having an impact on the water industry. Challenges of climate change include: maintaining and improving water quality in view of potential climate-related changes in groundwater and the associated safeguarding of the long-term supply of clean drinking water to the population; integrating ecological flood protection in view of the already foreseeable changes caused by climate change; the effective and ecological use of hydropower as opposed to fossil fuels for energy production; the preservation of ecologically intact aquatic habitats as valuable CO2 stores and regulators for the local and global climate.

Highlight the global importance of water as a resource

• Goal 6 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) establishes the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all as a key aspect of sustainable development for people, the planet and prosperity. To date, 785 million people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water. More than half of all people worldwide (4.2 billion) do not have safe sanitation, i.e. hygienic toilets from which wastewater is safely treated and disposed of.

(Awareness) education measures on the important functions that water bodies have for People provide

• Bodies of water perform a variety of functions that people either actively use or benefit from passively: Bodies of water provide food (agriculture, hunting, gathering, fishing) and energy (hydropower, energy forests) or other raw materials (gravel, algae, etc.). But bodies of water are also often important for regional identity. They shape natural landscapes and increase the local quality of life due to the local recreational opportunities. Bodies of water also offer the opportunity to study nature scientifically.

Environmental education with a focus on water & wastewater

• Environmental education is an important prerequisite for successful environmental protection. Bringing children and young people into contact with the tasks of drinking water supply and wastewater disposal, as well as with environmental and water protection, means that they develop knowledge, skills, interest and willingness to live an environmentally conscious life and take on responsibility.

Promoting conscious use and appreciation of water as a resource

• In Austria, water is often seen as an inexhaustible, freely available resource. However, it is not a given that drinking water of the highest quality is available around the clock, 365 days a year. This makes it all the more important to provide information about what lies behind this resource and what is necessary to protect it. The projects can also take “virtual water” into account. This includes the amount of clean water that is used to manufacture a product, or that becomes polluted or evaporates. More than 4,000 liters of water per person per day are required to produce all the goods they need every day, from cars to cups of coffee.

Making water an experience

Enabling people to experience and understand nature and water as a resource is a multifaceted task. Entertaining education with a high experience and fun factor is particularly popular among children and young people.

Participation of citizens in water management

• Austria is one of the regions with the most water resources in the world. However, water management is in a constant state of tension between nature and people. A balance of interests is therefore often necessary. In recent years, the involvement of “stakeholders” (municipalities, authorities, water associations, industry, agriculture, fishing, tourism, nature conservation, etc.) and the interested public has become an important part of water-related planning.

Collaboration across borders

• Waters do not stop at national borders. Water management, flood protection, tourism and nature conservation on European rivers and lakes therefore require bilateral and multilateral concepts and implementation. Measures that promote cross-border thinking when dealing with waters are therefore a particular focus.
• Priority target groups of the WaterEDUCATION category
• Public institutions, schools and educational institutions
• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
• Associations and associations
• Municipalities and municipal institutions

Company

Media representatives, agencies (also in the area of social media)

Objectives

In the Water RESEARCH category, they are primarily looking for works (dissertations as well as diploma or master’s theses), studies, projects and initiatives that contribute to the protection and restoration of natural habitats in and around water, to the careful and sustainable use of water in settlements and agriculture, to the protection and preservation of biodiversity in aquatic habitats, or that deal with sustainable flood protection or ecologically compatible use of hydropower.

They are also looking for technologies, processes and projects that lead to the reduction, elimination or prevention of water pollution or that offer sustainable, practical system solutions for water extraction, infrastructure or wastewater disposal at home and abroad.

Fields of action

Submissions in the following fields of action will be considered in the category WasserFORSCHT Special consideration given to:

Climate change

The consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly noticeable in Austria and are also having an impact on research. Challenges and important research areas are: maintaining and improving water quality with regard to potential climate-related changes in groundwater and the associated safeguarding of the long-term supply of clean drinking water to the population; integrating ecological flood protection with regard to the already foreseeable changes caused by climate change; the effective and ecological use of hydropower as opposed to fossil fuels for energy production; the preservation of ecologically intact aquatic habitats as valuable CO2 stores and regulators for the local and global climate.

Sustainable water use

Careful and sustainable use of resources in settlements, agriculture and industry, in energy production using innovative technologies and solutions.

Groundwater and spring water

In order to preserve water resources for future generations, the Austrian Water Rights Act sets out the objective of comprehensive groundwater protection. Karst springs, which provide 50% of the drinking water, are particularly sensitive to pollution.

Drinking water supply and wastewater disposal

• Research and measures in the area of urban water management are vital for the infrastructure that supplies clean and uncontaminated drinking water and the environmentally friendly disposal of wastewater. This includes not only the maintenance of the systems, but above all research into new technologies or test procedures and the conduct of studies in advance.

Biodiversity

Water-influenced landscapes form habitat types with the highest biological diversity. Unfortunately, many of these habitats are threatened.

Export opportunities for Austria

Innovations and new water technologies not only reduce environmental pollution, they also create new jobs in Austria and open up new export opportunities to Abroad under the motto: “Innovative in the country, successful in the world”

Ecological hydraulic engineering (EU Water Framework Directive)

A key objective of the EU Water Framework Directive is to achieve a “good status” of water bodies. The renaturation, restructuring, revitalization of rivers and streams, the restoration of continuity, sustainable water networking, etc. are the main tasks of the next decade, along with the maintenance and improvement of water quality. Innovative measures and technologies are required for ecologically close-to-nature water body development.

Integrated flood protection

Flood protection on rivers used to be mainly focused on technical measures and land reclamation. Today, hydraulic engineering takes ecological requirements into account and tries to reconcile the population’s need for protection with water protection. Research to promote awareness of dangers is also addressed in this category. Prevention of natural hazards is increasingly important in view of the frequent Floods and heavy rain events remain a central topic of research and development.

Ecologically compatible use of hydropower

Hydroelectric power plants often represent insurmountable obstacles for fish. The construction of Fish ladders or bypass channels to ensure continuity are therefore important. Innovative solutions for residual water and other structural issues and for modernizing existing systems are also sought.

Priority target groups of the WasserFORSCHT category

Companies (especially R&D and research departments)

Start-ups/company founders

Universities and technical colleges

Austrian and international researchers

Associations, organisations, institutions

 category

Objectives

This category is intended to highlight and underline the importance of water in contemporary art and culture. Innovative designs and projects that creatively address the topic of water and come from a wide variety of art and cultural disciplines can be submitted. Priority is given to artists and cultural workers from areas such as multimedia, film, music, literature, architecture, visual and performing arts. Photography and performance art or festivals on the topic of water can also be submitted.

• Priority target groups of the 
• professional artists from all over the world
• People from all over the world who are creative with a professional approach employ (regardless of their education)

Objectives

The category includes activities for water protection, for the preservation of the river and lake landscapes, or measures for renaturation, flood protection, or drinking water supply and wastewater disposal. Important contributions are municipal initiatives to raise awareness of the vital resource of water and tourism measures such as themed hiking trails or recreational areas by the water.

Fields of action

Submissions in the following fields of action will receive special consideration in the WasserREGIONAL category:

• Aquatic habitat: The restoration and protection of aquatic habitats such as Streams, rivers, lakes and moors.
• Protection against water hazards and climate change: Protection against increasing water hazards such as floods, heavy rain, slope water and mudslides on site. This can also include improved rainwater retention (unsealing/rainwater infiltration/changed agricultural practices) in the area.
• Planning for generations: Sustainable and long-term drinking water supply and wastewater disposal in view of new challenges such as drought and heavy rain.
• Make water an experience: offer people attractive spaces in and around water, for Leisure, recreation and tourism.
• Priority target groups of the WasserREGIONAL category 
• Municipalities and cities of the participating federal states
• Associations and clubs, cooperatives and NGOs Initiatives and citizens
• Water supply companies and wastewater disposal companies
• Companies and other businesses (e.g. agriculture)
• Authorities and institutions, especially at local level
• Interest groups such as chambers

The regional category WaterVIENNA is a photo and video competition on the topic of “Water in Vienna”. The category has its own motto for each round of the Neptun State Prize for Water – in 2025 this is “Drinking water is climate protection in the blink of an eye”. They are looking for photos, pictures, drawings, collages or videos that fit the motto and were created in Vienna or have a specific connection to Vienna to be submitted.

Funding Information

Eligibility Criteria

Persons residing in Austria or organizations and companies based in Austria are eligible to participate. Persons who are familiar with the organization of the Neptun State Prize for Water or who have a close relationship with jury members are excluded from participation.

Source: https://www.neptun-staatspreis.at/kategorien/