#ESPOawards - The ESPO Award on Societal Integration of Ports this year is entering its sixth edition.

For the 2014 competition, the theme 'Innovative environmental projects' was chosen. The call for proposals is now open.

ESPO will be addressing innovative port projects that lead to environmental improvement for the benefit of the wider port and local community.

Reducing the environmental impact of port operations and improving the local environmental conditions for the people working and living around the port are key success factors for the societal integration of ports.

In fact, ports grant and maintain their license to operate and to grow from their local communities.

Therefore, through the award, ESPO hopes to identify and promote innovative projects set up by ports that address the typical port-city concerns in the environmental field such as local air pollution, water pollution, noise, dust, odours.

"We warmly encourage our members to participate in this year's competition", says ESPO Secretary General Isabelle Ryckbost, "Potential winners this year are those port authorities that go beyond what is requested from them in terms of environmental management.

We are looking for ports which take innovative actions to improve literally the local environment and succeed as such to respond to the concerns of their local community.

As usual, all projects submitted will be promoted, so every participant is to some extent a winner ".
The award was established in 2009 to promote innovative projects of port authorities that improve societal integration of ports, especially with the city or wider community in which they are located.

In this way, the award wants to stimulate the sustainable development of European ports and their cities. The previous winners were: the Port of Gijón (2009), the Port of Helsinki (2010), the Ports of Stockholm (2011), the Port of Genoa (2012) and the Port of Antwerp (2013).

The call for proposals is open. Project submissions must be received by the ESPO secretariat by 1 July at the latest.

The sixth ESPO Award will be officially handed out during ESPO's Award Ceremony and Port Night taking place on 4 November in Brussels.