Centre stage: Three North Sea project videos stand out

At our 2025 North Sea Conference in Oldenburg last week, we proudly announced the winners of this year’s - North Seas Video Contest. This is the fifth year the contest has run, and standards have certainly not slipped from previous years. A huge congratulations to all three winners: 

SHARE-North Squared won in the the category - Put your project in the spotlight

Biodiverse Cities won in the category - Our Impact 

Clancy won in the category - Free for all

All three projects made a strong impression with their creative storytelling, clear messages, and ability to engage viewers in just a few short seconds. Each video showcases not only the project itself but also highlights how innovative thinking can offer fresh solutions to some of the region’s most pressing challenges.

Dive in and check out the winning videos from each category below.

SHARE-North Squared (SN²) took home the win in this category with a short, eye-catching video designed for social media. The clip highlights how a single parking space takes up around 12 m²—space that is often locked away for the sole purpose of storing private cars. In many housing developments, parking requirements are dictated by local or regional bylaws, often resulting in vast areas becoming single-use concrete deserts.

In an era of climate change, housing shortages, urban space constraints, and traffic congestion, SN² is challenging this outdated approach. The winning video delivers this message in a fun and creative way, showing how reclaiming even small areas of urban space can make room for people, not just parked cars.

SN² aims to raise awareness that these valuable spaces can serve much better purposes—like green areas, playgrounds, more housing, and parking for shared mobility options.

Check out all of the entries in Category 1.

Biodiverse Cities nailed this category  with an animated explainer video stressing the importance of restoring and protecting biodiversity in urban spaces. The video does a grand job of explaining the value of biodiverse nature-based solutions and highlighting where these solutions are being piloted within the North Sea Region.

The project accelerates action for biodiversity in cities in the region to support ecosystem services, balance the coexistence of people and nature, and build nature-inclusive societies.

To ensure lasting impact, the project also works on urban policy and investment strategies, helping cities integrate biodiversity into long-term planning and decision-making. Beyond its five pilots, three Pollinator Cities – Hamburg, Brest, and Bergen – are following closely and will help spread the results.

Check out all of the entries in Category 2.

Last but not least, Clancy took home the trophy for this category with their short but highly effective clip showing in real time how the mitten crab is invading our rivers and making their way up stream. 

The Chinese mitten crab is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the “World's 100 Worst Invasive Alien Species“. Four North Sea Region countires have therefore joined forces to find a strategy on a European level for a lasting and efficient reduction of this invasive species. 

Juvenile crabs migrate up almost all coastal river systems in Western Europe where they spend part of their adult life before their migration back towards the North Sea for reproduction. Therefore, the mitten crabs can be caught at two different life stages and be removed in large quantities from the river systems at suitable locations using an innovative trap concept. 

Check out all of the entries in Category 3.

Image credits: North Sea Region Programme