Are you ready to hack for the ocean? #Hack4Oceans looks for solutions to the ocean’s challenges

A very successful and insightful second edition of #Hack4Oceans was held this November 2022.

The perfect way to wrap up the European Year of Youth!

We brought together a hundred students from all over Europe for a two-day hackathon. Accompanied by experts in their fields, they teamed up to come up with innovative cross-sectoral solutions to some of the ocean’s biggest challenges. A great opportunity to bring together students with different educational background, from engineering to social sciences or marine sciences.

On the programme, four themes: ocean and climate change, marine litter, coastal ecosystems, and new sustainable foods and resources.

After 48 hours of intense elaboration and cooperation the students got to pitch their ideas to the jury, and we are happy to announce the winners of the four categories:

Coastal ecosystems

Not only was this team the winner of the Coastal Ecosystem category, but of the entire hackathon!

With their SeaYou app project, they want to accelerate ecosystem protection and restoration through efficient collaboration between industry and academia.

SeaYou would help bring together researchers working on a marine scientific project and exciting industrial facilities. The industry can provide technologies, tools and logistics and can for instance receive useful data or lab analyses in return.

On top of the difficult matchmaking among sectors, money is always in issue. Industries can support restoration and conservation projects financially.

Marine litter 

The winners of the Marine Litter category came up with an innovative concept: POSH LABEL (Packaging for Oceans, Sustainability and Health).

A way for consumers to make conscious and sustainable choices on what they buy, with a label for packaging signalling their sustainability.

New food and sustainable ecosystems

Meet the great minds behind the EDU-FOOD project!

EDU-FOOD is a pioneer project that aims to incorporate a nutritional regime in international schools across Europe, targeting sustainable oceanic consumption. Through this accreditation system, we aim to revolutionise generational behaviours and ideologies regarding sustainable marine alternatives, within the European community circle i.e., kids, youth, adults.

Their mission? To raise awareness from the bottom-up, based on theoretical and practical learning methodologies which aim to cut through regressive food habits, and increase exposure and acceptance towards viable ‘futuristic’ foods.

Ocean & climate change

Meet the winners of the Ocean & Climate Category!

“The Blue Dataverse” would be interconnected dataspace and visual, real-time 3D map frontend that would allow for mass data aggregation with real-time updates. These data would aid in the protection of vulnerable marine species via tracking and protect algae for utilization as carbon sinks.