Blue Voice Award — Student CompetitionThe Blue Voice Award is the dedicated student and school competition of SplashFest, an international festival taking place simultaneously in Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany from 5–8 June 2026. The festival is organised by filmmakers, writers, designers and educators who are committed to helping young people understand why our oceans — and our planet — need protection. The Blue Voice Award gives students a chance to speak up, to be heard across countries, and to become part of a new wave of environmental creativity.This category is open to school classes, youth groups, after-school clubs, environmental groups, home-school teams, and students working together with their teachers. Unlike the professional categories, the Blue Voice Award welcomes any creative format, allowing schools to choose the approach that fits their age group, curriculum and resources. Whether it’s a short video, a stop-motion animation, a class project, a mini-documentary, a photography series, an illustrated story, a poster campaign or a collaborative artwork, what matters most is the message: why the ocean matters, what threatens it, and how young people imagine a better, healthier future.The aim of the Blue Voice Award is not perfection, but participation, awareness, and creative problem-solving. We want students to think about the connections between the ocean and the rest of the planet — how climate, weather, forests, rivers, lakes, animals and people are all tied together by the same systems. The project can focus on themes including (but not limited to):• ocean pollution and plastic reduction• marine species and biodiversity• climate change and its impact on seas• coastal communities and cultural heritage• freshwater ecosystems connected to the sea• sustainable habits and realistic solutions• ocean exploration and scientific discovery• storytelling about marine heroes, activists or animals• hopeful visions of the futureBecause SplashFest takes place in four different countries, selected school projects from each region will be exhibited or screened in all four locations, giving young creators an international audience. This means a class project developed in Athens may be seen by children in Italy, Germany and the UK — and the same goes in every direction. Through this cross-country showcase, students discover that other young people share their concerns, their curiosity and their desire to make a difference.When evaluating entries, our team looks for:• Clarity of message – what does the project want to say about the ocean?• Creativity – is the idea original or expressed in a fresh way?• Teamwork – how did students work together to build it?• Environmental understanding – does the project show awareness of ocean issues and realistic solutions?• Positive impact – does it inspire action, empathy or curiosity?• Accessibility – is it appropriate for a young audience? Teachers are invited to include a short note (up to 200 words) explaining how the project was created: which students participated, what the learning goals were, and how the activity supported environmental education in class. All selected works will receive an official Blue Voice Certificate, and while the festival has physical events in Greece, Italy, the UK and Germany, the Blue Voice Award is open to students and youth groups from anywhere in the world. Exceptional projects in each creative format (video, art, storytelling, class projects) may receive additional recognition for their originality, clarity of message and environmental understanding.