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Baltic Sea Challenge

2026 marks the launch of the Baltic Sea-focused innovation challenge, addressing some of the region’s most urgent marine and maritime challenges, that add unsustainable pressure to the ecological ecosystem.

Building on the success of the Ocean Community Challenge since 2020, the initiative will ignite and drive solutions that strengthen ecosystem resilience and support sustainable blue enterprise transformation in the region.

Start working on your ideas and solutions - we open for submissions in Q3 2026

Get to know the Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a unique mix of freshwater and saltwater. Its low salinity limits overall biodiversity, yet creates a rare and fragile ecosystem where marine and freshwater species live side by side. The Baltic Sea is bordered by nine nations, whose economies communities and coastal livelihoods are closely connected to the health of the sea.

Baltic Sea Challenges

The Baltic Sea is a semi-enclosed, fragile ecosystem where nature moves slowly, but human impact hits hard. Due to the narrow Danish Straits, it takes 25–30 years for the water to fully refresh. Every pollutant we release today becomes a burden for decades, trapping our waste in a cycle that threatens the next generation.

The Baltic Sea Challenge depends on a collaborative stakeholder ecosystem to develop and accelerate solutions while also strengthening awareness, engagement and longterm impact across the region.

Find your position in the Challenge