The winners of the EU 2024 Prize for Citizen Science were announced. Citizen science – the general public engagement in scientific research activities – contributes to a vibrant civil society and is getting increasingly popular with Europeans. Out of the 288 applications, three citizen science initiatives received the main prizes and 27 were recognised with honorary mentions. The EU Prize for Citizen Science is funded under Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme (2021-2027).
Commissioner Iliana Ivanova said: “I warmly congratulate the winners of this year’s EU Citizen Science Award, but would also like to commend all participants. Your initiatives address some of our most pressing challenges and showcase the transformative potential of citizen science. They improve the excellence and impact of our research, and also deepen the relationship and trust between science and our societies.”
The Grand Prize, worth €60,000, goes to the EU-funded INCREASE project for its outstanding achievements in advancing knowledge on seed preservation through the empowerment of civil society and citizens, in particular from rural areas. The Digital Communities prize, worth €20,000, is given to the Horizon 2020 project CoAct for Mental Health for its use of digital technologies to develop a personalised approach and improve the quality of life for people facing mental health problems. The Diversity & Collaboration prize, worth €20,000, is given to SeaPaCS_Participatory Citizen Science against Marine Pollution for producing transformative knowledge that filled the existing cognitive and emotional gap between society and the sea.
Source: European Commission
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