Deadline Date: October 11, 2026
The Neptune State Prize for Water invites diverse contributions that highlight sustainable water use, innovation, education, regional action and artistic engagement with water across Austria.
The focus areas, objectives, priorities, and themes of the prize include Water Education, WaterResearch, WaterCreative, WaterRegional and WaterVienna, all centered on water protection, sustainable management, climate adaptation, public awareness, scientific innovation, cultural expression and regional water-related initiatives.
The Water Education category recognizes initiatives, campaigns, and projects that promote awareness, knowledge transfer, and public engagement in water protection and sustainable use. This includes school-based learning activities, community participation programs, and creative educational approaches. A total of €5,000 is awarded across the top three entries.
The WaterResearch category supports scientific, technical, and industrial innovation focused on water resource protection and sustainable management. Research and development projects addressing water-related environmental challenges are eligible, with €5,000 distributed among the three best entries.
The WaterCreative category highlights artistic engagement with water across performing arts, visual arts, experimental formats, literature, architecture, and interdisciplinary projects. This category provides a platform for cultural expression inspired by water, with a total of €5,000 awarded to the top three submissions.
The WaterRegional category recognizes regional and local initiatives that contribute to water protection, climate adaptation, river and lake preservation, renaturation, flood management, drinking water supply, wastewater systems, and awareness-building projects. The best project in this category receives €3,000. The WaterVienna category is a public photo, image, and video competition under the theme “My Viennese Water Moment,” followed by online voting to select winners. The top three entries receive a total of €3,000.
The prize is open to a wide range of participants, including companies, associations, clubs, NGOs, municipalities, schools, educational institutions, artists, researchers, and private individuals. Private individuals are especially encouraged to participate in the WaterVienna category and engage in public voting processes linked to both WaterVienna and WaterRegional.
For more information, visit Neptune State Prize for Water.
