- Held between 25 September to November 3, Primary, Secondary, Baccalaureate, Special Education and Vocational Training schools across Spain can register their proposals here.
- As part of these awards, the Endesa Foundation, in collaboration with the European Society and Education Foundation, aims to promote the commitment of teachers and students to caring for the environment and preserving urban biodiversity by rewarding the projects being developed at their schools.
- More than 287,000 students from 800 schools across Spain have participated in the seven editions held of this initiative to date.
The Endesa Foundation recently launched the eighth edition of the Ecoinnovation Awards, a project developed in collaboration with the European Society and Education Foundation, reflecting its commitment to caring for the environment, preserving urban biodiversity and promoting innovative education.
As part of the Eco-innovation Awards, the Endesa Foundation aims to encourage research, experimentation and social transformation by turning young people into the main agents of social change and promoting the development of "ecobiosocial" skills from Primary School Education to Vocational Training. These awards also recognise and enhance the visibility of the work that teachers undertake at their educational centres in this field. To this end, it encourages them to participate and create a project in cooperation with their students on the protection and conservation of biodiversity.
These awards were originally created to promote knowledge in this area, as detected during the first Endesa Foundation Ecobarometer (2016) and corroborated as part of the second Endesa Foundation Ecobarometer (2021) that yielded the following data: 54% of respondents said that the amount of content dedicated to the main environmental issues was very poor or poor during their stage of education and 60% expressed a desire to receive more information on this subject.
Since the launch of the Ecoinnovation Awards in 2016, the number of participants has increased each year, demonstrating the growing commitment of young people in Spain to the environment, sustainability and the preservation of biodiversity. In total, more than 287,000 students from 800 schools have participated in the initiative, submitting more than 1,500 projects.
To sign up, teachers must fill in this form and can participate in any of the three categories available at these awards: "Know our biodiversity", "Solve an environmental problem" and "Improve your environment". They can also submit an unlimited number of projects, although they must all be aligned with the 3Ps of Biodiversity: Protect, Preserve and Prevent.
Note
The term “ecobiosocial” refers to the acquisition of skills linked to the environment, ecology and civic and social commitment.
Projects are subject to a rigorous assessment by a team made up of experts from the worlds of education and the environment as well as a Jury, guaranteeing the quality of the chosen projects. Since 2022, to generate more information about the effectiveness of the Ecoinnovation Awards and their degree of support in improving students' skills, the programme has been accompanied by a dual assessment. First of all, the participating teaching staff are asked to fill in a questionnaire about their perceptions; and, secondly, students are submitted to an assessment to corroborate the extent to which their ecobiosocial and scientific skills have improved.
A total of 15 projects from those submitted will be chosen to move on to the final phase, with 6 chosen as winners and a special mention also being awarded. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony to be held at the end of the 2023/2024 academic year.
A monetary sum of €12,000 has been set aside for the 8th Ecoinnovation Awards. In categories 1 and 2, the educational centre awarded first prize receives €2,000 and the second prize is €1,000. In category 3, the first prize wins €4,000 and the second prize €1,000. The project awarded a special mention will also receive €1,000.
Schools interested in applying can do so online by clicking on this link.
See the legal terms and conditions here.
About the Endesa Foundation
The Endesa Foundation is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. A quarter of a century of social work that enables us to look to the future with the challenge of continuing to progress, with a broad and conscious outlook on human beings and the rest of the species that surround us to build a world in which there is room for everyone.
With this in mind, the Endesa Foundation contributes to social development and the conservation of biodiversity through education, training for employment, culture, volunteering and urban biodiversity projects so that there is a future in which we can all live together and in balance with each other.
For further information go to: www.fundacionendesa.org
About The European Foundation for Society and Education
The European Foundation Society and Education is a private and independent entity that promotes research and debates on the multiple aspects that shape the strategic role of education as a foundation for the progress and development of democratic societies.
Through its research department, it promotes studies, debates and analysis on educational news that they approach from an interdisciplinary perspective. This department specialises in promoting environmental education through integral ecology.