LIFE Awards 2021

This 15th edition of the LIFE Awards recognised excellence in three categories: nature protection, environment and climate action. 

A ceremony announcing all the LIFE Awards 2021 winners was held on 2 June as part of EU Green Week.

LIFE Awards 2021 winners

LIFE Award for Nature:

In the Slovak Republic, the LIFE ENERGY team put a stop to many birds colliding with powerlines. They installed 8 600 bird flight diverters along 77 km of the most dangerous areas. These diverters protect 700 birds from collisions every year. The team also planted 550 trees to enhance existing wind breaks, helping the birds to see power lines better.

LIFE Award for Environment:

The team behind LIFE REUSING POSIDONIA used dried Posidonia oceanica seagrass as an effective and inexpensive thermal insulation in 14 social housing units for poor and disadvantaged people on the Balearic island of Formentera (Spain). This local, traditional and environmentally friendly construction method reduced emissions by 60%, cut energy use by 75%, and water by another 60%.

LIFE Award for Climate Action:

LIFE FORECCAsT helped forest managers in France’s Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park put in place climate change adaptation strategies. They built a mobile application to help foresters assess and manage the risks to their land. And 25 sites tested climate-resilient tree species and forest management practices that use less water.

The other 12 finalists were:

Nature protection: 

LIFE-GREEN4GREY  Green and blue infrastructure enhancing biodiversity and curbing climate change 

LIFE ElClimA An improved habitat and existence for the Eleonora’s falcon  

Lille Vildmose Restoring the largest raised bog in lowland northwest Europe 

TARTALIFEPreventing sea turtles from getting caught up in fishing nets 

Environment: 

Hg-rid-LIFE Reducing poisonous mercury emissions from dental clinics 

LIFE+ INADAR  Boosting biodiversity on riverbanks near hydropower stations 

LIFE Impetus Reducing pharmaceutical compounds from urban wastewater treatment plants 

LIFE TRiFOCAL LondonCommunications campaign to prevent food waste, promote healthy eating and encourage food waste recycling 

Climate action: 

LIFE - CLEAN HEAT  Reducing emissions like soot and smoke coming from private wood burning 

LIFE ADAPT2CLIMA  Helping Mediterranean farmers to adapt to climate change 

LIFE FRANCA  Making the shift from flood response to flood prevention in the Italian Alps 

Life LowCarbon Feed Producing two new goat feeds from food waste 

LIFE Citizens’ Prize

The LIFE Citizens’ Prize saw the public get to know the finalists and vote for their preferred project online. In the end, it was TARTALIFE that won the popular vote, and it was a worthy winner. The team helped to reduce the numbers of sea turtles being caught up in fishing nets along 15 Italian coastal areas.

LIFE4Youth Award

Volunteers play a vital role in LIFE projects. Italy’s Choose Nature (Choo-na!) project saw more than 300 young volunteers from the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) going on field missions from August 2017 to August 2019. Their objective was to take care of 11 endangered bird species like the Stork, Golden eagle, Kentish plover, Lanner falcon and Lesser kestrel. Choose Nature (Choo-na!) won the special LIFE4Youth Award for its stellar work.

Jury members

• Bas Eickhout - Member of the European Parliament, vice-chair of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety 
• Ester Asin - Director at WWF European Policy Office 
• Janez Potočnik - Former European Commissioner for the Environment, co-chair of the International Resource Panel (IRP)

Who won last year?

Learn about the 2020 winners.

Where can I find out more?

Follow us on social media (Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn) for updates!