EUROPEAN WATER AWARDS

We reward the most innovative technological solutions in the field of drinking water.

The first Bled Water Festival Awards for innovative solutions that improve the attitude of the economy and society to water resources, the water environment and water use were awarded in 2016 in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Slovenia.

Already in the following year, the positive significance of the project was recognized and joined by the ministries of Serbia, Croatia and Austria. Each subsequent year, new countries have supported and joined the project. Nine countries are participating in the project today.

We awarded the Bled Water Festival Awards until 2021, after which we upgraded the project.

In 2023, we present the European Water Awards, which we award in cooperation with partners for the most innovative technological solutions in the field of drinking water.

By awarding the most innovative solutions, we also point out and promote best practices and, if necessary, connect them with investors.

Our goal

With the European Water Awards project, we want to encourage faster and better-quality development of society, while it is absolutely necessary to take into account the entire water cycle for the most sustainable use and supply of drinking water.

The scultures of the European Water Award and the BWF Certificate of Excellence were designed by Tanja Andrejasic Wechsler, a water advocate, designer and entrepreneur committed to using public space and the marketplace to raise awareness and appreciation for water. She communicates her message by using the design and shape of a water drop in its most pristine form to build awareness and hope.

Awarding the European Water Award in 2023

The first round four-member joury reviewed 22 projects and selected three finalists, which were then judged in a second round by representatives of the partners.

The recipient of the European Water Award 2023 is the project SYMBIO BIOMONITORING SYSTEM of a Polish company PROTE Technologies for our Environment.

The award was presented to Hubert Białous, representative of PROTE, by Marko Gajić, Co-founder of BWF and Mr Mitja Bricelj from Water and Investments Directorate, Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, Slovenia.

The SYMBIO biomonitoring system is an early warning system against the contamination of water intended for consumption. It combines the natural, dependable bioindication method, based on living organisms called bioindica­tors, with modern technology that enables automatic water monitoring and archiving the data. SYMBIO sets the current standards for water security.

The system operates based on bioindication. Eight specimens of the freshwater mussel, placed in the SYMBIO flow-through tank, are equipped with a probe that co-operates with a magnet stuck to the mussel’s shell. The probe records the degree of each mussel’s openness and its natural bio­rhythm comparable to human’s ECG.

The data is sent to a controller that processes it, and further, to a computer, which visualizes and archives it, and provides reports. It enables us to evaluate the current system operation, and to keep track of the mussels’ activity in the past. Molluscs are sensitive organisms, thanks to which the water utility company, every single second, receives the information, whether the water is suitable for consumption. A sudden closure of the mussels’ shells indicates an adverse change in the parameters of water. In such a case, SYMBIO generates an alarm, to which the laboratory can quickly react, taking water samples for analys.

As SYMBIO is an online system, it can send an alarm signal to a selected e-mail address or mobile telephone number. The mussels work in the unit monitoring the water for three months. After that time, they go back to the lake from which they came, and a new set of organisms, which will monitor the quality of water for another quarter, is installed in the system.

AWARDS OVER THE YEARS

2023

EUROPEAN WATER AWARD

PROTE Technologies for our Environment, Poland
SYMBIO Biomonitoring System

2021

AWARDS RESPONSIBLE TOWARDS WATER

Micro Company
MYWATER, Slovenia
Smart hydration station

Small Company
PlanetCare, Slovenia
PlanetCare Microfiber Filter

Medium Company
WOFIL Robert Muszański, Poland
System SPiD

Large  Company
Kostak, Slovenia
Small wastewater treatment plant with filtration medium

National Project
Finland
Finnish Water Stewardship Commitment

2019

AWARDS RESPONSIBLE TOWARDS WATER

Micro Company
Zero Carbon, Slovenia
myWater ATM

Medium Company
Maribor Waterworks Company, Slovenia
Innovative sound page

National Award
Horticultural society Maribor, Slovenia
Risk for drought in the Danube Region

Individual Award
Jure Pirc, Slovenia
Cryptowater.si – Water on Blockchain

THE BEST UNDERWATER CLEANUP
DPA Vivera Ljubljana, Slovenia
Underwater cleanup project of river Ljubljanica in 2018
THE MOST TASTEFUL WATER IN SLOVENIA
Surce near the road Podlebelca
THE MOST DARING PROJECT
2467 km – A journey to the Black Sea
Pascal Rösler, Germany

2018

AWARDS RESPONSIBLE TOWARDS WATER

Micro Company
Kakis, Slovenia
KAKIS, the next generation of toilet

Medium Company
Komunalno podjetje Velenje, Slovenia
Effective management of water losses and the quality of drinking water

Large Company
Ericsson Nikola Tesla d.d., Croatia
WaterQ

Individual Award
Stanko Česen, Slovenia
Design and implementation of PVA-MBBR

THE BEST UNDERWATER CLEANUP
DPD Bled, Slovenia
Janez Andrejc, president
THE MOST TASTEFUL WATER IN SLOVENIA
Hotel Kristal Bohinj, Slovenia
Jan Dobravec, Manager
THE BEST ECOLOGICAL FILM
Trashed
Director Candida Brady, Great Britain

2017

AWARDS RESPONSIBLE TOWARDS WATER

Micro Company
Freewa Project, Croatia
Freewa project

Small Company
Alpen Adria Energie GmbH, Austria
The Little World of Waterenergy

Large Company
Petrol and Komunala Kranj, Slovenia
Technical and Economic Optimisation of the Water System Kranj

Individual Award
Anže Logar, Slovenia

National Award
Public institution AQUATIKA – Freshwater Aquarium Karlovac, Croatia
Aquatika – Freshwater Aquarium Karlovac

2016

AWARDS RESPONSIBLE TOWARDS WATER

DOPPS – BirdLife Slovenia

Municipality Koper, Slovenia

Luka Koper, Slovenia