Highlights

Every year, World Water Day draws the world’s attention to key global water issues. World Water Day 2019 will focus on Water and Migration. Youth has an important role to play in working towards regional water security and increased water awareness. Young people are involved in innovative water-related projects and research around the Mediterranean and are key to securing a more sustainable water future in the region. Youth also has an essential role to play in creating a more inclusive Mediterranean for migrants and refugees.

To amplify the voice of regional youth on this topic, the Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) is launching the third edition of its Mediterranean youth workshop on Water and Migration. In the run-up to this workshop, the third edition of the “Mediterranean Water Heroes” youth contest will offer young water activists from around the Mediterranean the opportunity to showcase their innovative work on water and migration.  

Find out more about the previous CMI World Water Day youth workshop editions here (2017) and here (2018).

Contest Organizers

The Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) is leading the contest in collaboration with its Water Hub partners (French Development Agency, German Development Agency, European Investment Bank, CIHEAM, World Bank, Plan Bleu) and the CMI-managed Mediterranean Youth Water network (MedYWat).

Who is Eligible?

• Young people aged 18 to 35 and working and/or studying the water sector in the Mediterranean. 
• Regardless of their place of residence, applicants must be nationals from one of the following Mediterranean countries: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Montenegro, Palestinian Territories, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.
• Applicants may be working for public institutions, research institutes, start-ups, NGOs, or as freelancers. 
• The official languages of the contest are English and Arabic.
   

Prizes

Contest prizes will be determined by CMI in collaboration with the Water Hub over the coming months. The selected contest winners will be offered a speaking role in the different World Water Day 2019 workshop sessions in Marrakech, Morocco as well as:

• Connecting with international water and migration experts and young water professionals:  key speaking role during the CMI Water and Migration World Water Day youth workshop in Marrakech, Morocco (25-28 March 2019, dates tbc)
• Visibility: Showcasing of your work on the Center for Mediterranean Integration and partners’ websites;
• Media: Featuring your work in a CMI video on water and migration the Mediterranean;
• Mentoring: Peer-to-peer mentoring with other Mediterranean water activists and experts.

Other selected participants will also be invited to participate in the workshop in March 2019.

What ideas are eligible?

CMI encourages applications from a wide range of backgrounds, including young water activists, entrepreneurs and researchers. Applicants are invited to submit their innovative work around the following themes:

• Water Governance and Forced Displacement
• Climate Change and Forced/Voluntary Migration
• The Water-Employment-Migration (WEM) Nexus
• Water and Green Entrepreneurship for Mediterranean Migrant Youth
   

Timeline

• November 1^st 2018: Launch of the contest

• Deadline December 23rd midnight CET time

• January 15^th: Announcement of the contest results

• March 25-28 2019 (tbc): Participation of the contest winners at CMI World Water Day
   

Selection Criteria

Only completed applications will be taken into consideration. Water-related projects and research will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Regional relevance and reproducibility
• Innovative value
• Environmental, Social and Economic Impact
• Youth involvement
• Overall quality of the application

Selection Committee

The jury will consist of the CMI team and selected water experts from CMI’s Water Hub partner organizations, notably the World Bank, AFD, GIZ, EIB, CIHEAM Plan Bleu, as well as the CMI-managed Mediterranean Youth for Water Network (MedYWat).

How can you apply?

Applications will be submitted through this page in either English or Arabic.

For applicants facing difficulties in filling out the forms in English or Arabic, we can offer limited language support for other Mediterranean languages. E-mail us at: [email protected] with the subject line: “Language support – youth contest”.

For any other questions, kindly get in touch with us at [email protected].

Legal Aspects

The above competition rules are binding throughout the entire duration of the “Mediterranean Water Heroes” World Water Day Youth Contest. Participating in the contest indicates that applicants have read and accepted these rules and regulations and agree to abide by them. CMI reserves the right to disqualify any contest applicant that it believes is not abiding by the rules of the CMI World Water Day Contest.