5th Edition of Quarry Life Award – Apply Now!

Deadline: 18-Nov-21

Nominations are now open for the Quarry Life Award to raise the awareness of the ecological value of extraction sites and to find new ways to further enhance it.

The Quarry Life Award is a scientific and education competition, takes place every three years and runs simultaneously at national and international levels.

To support and increase biodiversity at their sites, have open communication channels with our neighbours, but also to educate and raise awareness about the importance of nature and celebrate the conservation of habitats and species, HeidelbergCement established the Quarry Life Award in 2012.

HeidelbergCement invites all nature enthusiasts, for example researchers, students and citizens, to take part in this unique competition by designing new and innovative projects based on the biodiversity in their quarries.

Goals

• Research Stream:
  • to promote biodiversity during and after extraction
  • to increase the scientific knowledge about biodiversity to improve management actions at quarry level
  • to better understand and improve the connection of the quarry with its neighbouring environment
• Community Stream:
  • to raise awareness about the importance of biodiversity by developing new education tools and activities
  • to involve local stakeholders in biodiversity actions benefitting both the quarry and the local community
  • Create economic benefits for the community but also combine biodiversity protection and usage as well as enhancing ecosystem services

Categories

The International prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

• Biodiversity Management
• Habitat & Species
• Beyond Quarry Borders
• Biodiversity & Education
• Connecting Quarries and local Communities
• Nature-Based Solutions

Streams

At the national level, the Quarry Life Award 2022 is a two-stream competition held in more than 20 countries worldwide. Projects can be carried out by individuals or teams in one of the following streams:

• Research Stream: Scientific projects that increase the knowledge of quarry-specific ecology and/or lead to improved biodiversity, landscape or water management at their extraction sites.
• Community Stream: Projects that help the quarry and their operating units to better connect with the community and raise awareness among the wider general public of the biodiversity at their extraction sites.

Award Details

• At international level, the international jury will assess all competing projects from a broader perspective, with due consideration for transferability.
• The best projects in each of the six categories will be awarded with a prize of € 10,000 each.
• The best project overall will receive no less than € 30,000.

What type of projects are they looking for?

• In the research stream:
  • The national juries use evaluation criteria such as methodology, feasibility of the project, innovation and creativity, communication of project results, added value for science and the company.
  • For projects submitted under the research stream, the international jury is particularly interested in projects that can fit under these three categories, which are then awarded at international level:
    • Category Biodiversity management:
      • rehabilitation concepts / methods / projects
      • projects increasing biodiversity during production
      • projects which create new living spaces / habitats for plants and animals on their sites
      • optimization of management and rehabilitation techniques
• In the community stream:
  • The national juries use evaluation criteria such as educational value and potential for raising awareness, local stakeholder involvement, added value for the community and the quarrying site as well as feasibility of the project.
  • Similarly, projects submitted in the community stream are also evaluated by the International Jury under the following three categories:
    • Category Biodiversity & education:
      • Educational materials and programs
      • Nature activities with stakeholders, museums, labs, art

For more information, visit https://www.quarrylifeaward.com/about/how-participate