The European Commission is proud to announce the 27 finalists for the 2020 European Natura 2000 Award.  You can discover the finalists on the Award website. The 79 applications received for this edition of the Award have been through a gruelling evaluation to select the 27 finalists. Reaching the shortlist is therefore a significant result in itself. The finalist applications highlight the many different achievements of those involved in Natura 2000.  They include applications from 14 EU Member States and the United Kingdom, submitted by local and international NGOs, universities, municipalities, national administrations, businesses …. And they cover an array of issues from both marine and terrestrial Natura 2000 sites.  Discover them now!

The public vote for your favourite Natura 2000 Award finalist is also now open. You have until midnight on the 15 of September 2020 to vote for the finalist that you think deserves special recognition: the application which receives the most votes will be awarded the coveted European Citizens’ Award.

Inform your friends, family and colleagues about the Award and encourage them to vote! You can also share news about your favourite finalists on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the materials available on the website. And you can keep up to date, follow the competition and sign up for the Award Newsletter.

The winners of the five category Awards – Conservation, Socio-Economic Benefits, Communication, Reconciling Interests/Perceptions, and Cross-Border Cooperation and Networking – and the Citizens’ Award will be announced at the Award Ceremony in Brussels, tentatively scheduled for 14 October 2020. 

And, in the meantime, let’s be in contact with nature this summer.  Discover Natura 2000 in your country: if you can get out and about, plan a visit to a site near you – in the mountains, the coast, wetlands … Or you can discover sites locally and further afield via the Natura 2000 Award and Natura 2000 websites.