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.
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.
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.
EUROPEAN WATER AWARD
PROTE Technologies for our Environment, Poland
SYMBIO Biomonitoring System
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
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
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
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
AWARDS RESPONSIBLE TOWARDS WATER
DOPPS – BirdLife Slovenia
Municipality Koper, Slovenia
Luka Koper, Slovenia