Following the success of previous editions, the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea (CMA), with the support of the Black Sea Assistance Mechanism, is pleased to launch the third edition of the Black Sea Project Awards in 2026. These awards aim to recognise innovation, success, and impactful solutions across the Black Sea sea-basin by funded projects that support the CMA’s vision for a sustainable blue economy.
Recognising success throughout project achievements in the Black Sea Region
The Black Sea Project Awards are back to commemorate projects that demonstrate tangible impact in line with the three main goals of the CMA for the Black Sea. The submission and selection process is open to initiatives implemented across the Black Sea region, including Bulgaria, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Türkiye, and Ukraine.
The Awards seek to identify outstanding projects that deliver innovative, scalable, and impactful solutions, contributing to the CMA’s priorities and long-term sustainability of the Black Sea region.
Categories
The awards are structured around three categories reflecting the CMA’s priorities:
Healthy Marine and Coastal Ecosystems: This category focuses on environmental protection and sustainable use of marine and coastal resources. It covers topics such as marine pollution and litter, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, innovative research infrastructure, and environmental monitoring.
A Competitive, Innovative and Sustainable Blue Economy for the Black Sea: This category highlights innovative business models, research and innovation, sustainable development and job creation, as well as transport, digital connectivity, and the promotion of blue skills and maritime careers.
Fostering Investment in the Black Sea Blue Economy: This category addresses access to financial resources, promoting sustainable investment, maritime entrepreneurship, and clusters.
Applicants are invited to select a primary award category that best aligns with their project’s scope, and a secondary category, reflecting whether their project has an indirect impact on other areas.
Eligibility and Evaluation
Projects selected and to be submitted for the Black Sea Project Awards must meet the following criteria:
Be implemented within the geographical area covered by the Black Sea Common Maritime Agenda (Bulgaria, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Türkiye, and Ukraine).
Have been initiated and/or completed within the 36 months before this Awards announcement.
Any type of funded project (at local, regional, national, or European level from public and/or private sources) that has been delivered or is being delivered within the Black Sea Common Maritime Agenda geographical area is eligible to apply.
Be submitted by individuals or organisations acting as project leaders or partners within the concerned consortium. These eligible applicants include professionals, entrepreneurs, research institutions, maritime clusters, associations, and NGOs based in one of the Black Sea countries aforementioned (Bulgaria, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Türkiye, and Ukraine).
The projects will be evaluated by a jury composed of independent experts from the Black Sea Assistance Mechanism, the sea-basin strategies, and the European Commission (DG MARE and CINEA), based on:
Relevance to the selected award category and CMA priorities.
Level of innovation, measured in terms of approach, results and working methods.
Impact or potential impact (social, environmental, and economic).
Transnational cooperation and involvement of partners from different countries.
Replicability and transferability across the Black Sea sea-basin, demonstrating its viability over the long-term.
How the submission process works
Interested applicants are invited to submit their applications in English through the online application form, available from 5 June until 15 August 2026.
For any questions regarding the application process or award criteria, applicants may contact: communications@black-sea-maritime-agenda.ec.europa.eu
Deadlines for the application
5th June 2026: Launch of the award online application form
15th August 2026: Closing award application
1st September 2026: Announcement of award winners
30th September 2026: Black Sea Project Award ceremony at the Annual Stakeholder Conference in Burgas, Bulgaria, where winners will have the opportunity to showcase their projects
Showcasing the awardee solutions
Three projects, one per award category, will be selected as winners of the Black Sea Project Awards 2026, in a previous instance, but asked not to make it public, to be festively and officially disclosed during the dedicated session for the Black Sea Project Awards Ceremony, taking place on 30 September 2026 during the CMA Annual Stakeholder Conference in Burgas, Bulgaria.
They will participate in a live pitching competition during the award ceremony in front of the audience, allowed to ask 2-3 questions per project.
The pitching session will be followed by a live voting session to select the overall “winner of winners”, who will receive a special and additional award.
The three awarded projects will benefit from increased visibility through CMA’s digital channels, media outreach, and a dedicated newsletter. Each winning project will also receive the Black Sea Project Awards Seal and certificate, which may be used in communication and promotional materials.
Curious about the previous edition of the Black Sea Project Awards?
You can find the videos on the CMA YouTube Channel, and explore the complete report of the 2025 event, where the following outstanding initiatives were recognised:
The IASON+ project, “Invasive Alien Species Observatory and Network Development for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts and Contextual Ecosystem Services Evaluation in Black Sea Deltaic Protected Areas”, received the award in the Healthy Marine and Coastal Ecosystems category.
The TRESOILPower2X, an innovative approach to tackle the Black Sea region’s environmental challenge of unrecyclable plastic waste, received the award in the Competitive, innovative, and sustainable blue economy category.
The INTERSMARTS project, “Interdisciplinary Solutions for Smart Sustainable Tourism and Services for Blue Growth in the Black Sea Basin”, received the award for Fostering Investment in the Black Sea blue economy category. INTERSMARTS was also voted as the “winner of winners” by the conference audience, receiving the winner’s CMA seal.
Stay tuned for further updates and join us in celebrating excellence, innovation, and replicability in the Black Sea!