The International GreenMascot Student Contest 2026 is officially open! Students from Bulgaria, Türkiye, Romania and Greece are invited to bring together creativity, environmental awareness and the power of sport to develop their own GreenMascot and an idea for positive environmental action. The challenge gives young people the opportunity to explore the environmental issues affecting the Black Sea Basin and show how sport can become part of the solution. What is the challenge? Participating teams are invited to choose a threatened species, plant or ecosystem of the Black Sea Basin that they want to protect and build their GreenMascot concept around it. But the challenge goes beyond designing a character. Each team should also propose a concrete environmental action, initiative or tool that can be promoted in and through sport, connecting their mascot with a real environmental cause. To present their idea, teams will prepare: an original GreenMascot concept representing their chosen environmental cause; a video of up to 3 minutes telling the story behind their idea; a short presentation in English explaining the mascot, the environmental challenge and the proposed action. Professional video production is not required. What matters most is the idea, creativity, connection between sport and the environmental cause, and the feasibility of the proposed action. Who can participate? Each team should consist of 2-3 students and one teacher or mentor. The contest brings together young people from all four GreenMascot partner countries: Bulgaria Türkiye Romania Greece 📅 The application period opens on 1 October 2026, and teams have 40 days to develop and submit their entries – until 9 November 2026. From national ideas to an international final The journey does not end with the national selection. Following the pre-selection process, two teams from each participating country – eight teams in total – will advance to the International GreenMascot Contest Final in Naoussa, Greece. There, the finalists will have the opportunity to present their GreenMascot concepts and environmental actions to the Selection Committee and the public, meet young people from the other participating countries and share their ideas on how sport can contribute to a greener future. One mascot for the Black Sea Basin At the international final, one winning idea will be selected to become the GreenMascot of the Black Sea Basin region. 🏆🌊 The winning concept will represent the shared GreenMascot message and help inspire environmental action through sport across the participating countries. For young people, the contest is an opportunity to do more than compete. It is a chance to give a voice to an environmental cause, transform creativity into action and show that sport can be a powerful driver of positive change. Ready to join the race? 🌿 Choose your cause. 🎨 Create your GreenMascot. 🏃 Turn sport into environmental action. Applications are open from 1 October to 9 November 2026.  

The GreenMascot journey has entered a new dimension. Our new Augmented Reality (AR) experience is now live, connecting four sports and outdoor venues across Bulgaria, Türkiye, Romania and Greece in an interactive journey that brings together sport, technology and environmental awareness. The GreenMascot project believes in the power of sport not only to bring people together, but also to inspire positive environmental change. The project uses sport as a communication tool to encourage environmentally friendly behaviour and raise awareness about protecting nature, biodiversity, marine and coastal ecosystems across the Black Sea Basin. BSB01069_V1.0 GreenMascot Now, that mission can be experienced in a completely new way. Four countries. Four venues. One shared race. The GreenMascot AR experience takes users on a journey across four locations representing the project partner countries: 🇧🇬 Bulgaria – Primorski Swimming Complex, South Beach, Varna 🇹🇷 Türkiye – Ziya Berhan Kılıç Indoor Sports Hall, Çorlu 🇷🇴 Romania – Corbu Football Field, Constanța 🇬🇷 Greece – Vermio Mountain, 3–5 Pigadia Ski Centre, Naoussa From the Black Sea coast and the swimming pools of Varna to a sports hall in Çorlu, a football field in Corbu and the mountain landscape of Naoussa, the four venues showcase different ways in which sport is connected to our communities and the environments around us. Together, they become part of one cross-border digital experience and one common message: the race towards sustainability is something we all share. Bringing environmental education into a new reality The AR experience was conceived as part of GreenMascot’s work with young athletes, sports fans, students and local communities. From the beginning, the project planned the development of an AR experience under the message “IT’S NOT A GAME, IT’S A RACE. JOIN THE RACE!”, designed to encourage young athletes and fans to take responsibility for protecting the Black Sea Basin region. It is also intended to serve as an educational resource and form part of the wider GreenMascot toolkit. BSB01069_V1.0 GreenMascot The choice of AR is particularly relevant for GreenMascot’s younger audiences. The project specifically envisages using social media, digital technologies and AR experiences to reach children and young people with environmental messages in engaging formats. BSB01069_V1.0 GreenMascot Rather than simply reading about sustainability, users are invited to explore, interact and discover. Sport can be part of the solution Every sporting activity takes place within an environment. We travel to training and competitions, use water and energy, consume food and drinks, produce waste and share natural and urban spaces. GreenMascot aims to make those connections more visible and encourage athletes, fans, sports organisations, schools, public authorities and citizens to consider how everyday choices can make sport more environmentally responsible. The project brings together partners from Bulgaria, Türkiye, Greece and Romania, combining their experience in sport, local government and environmental action. BSB01069_V1.0 GreenMascot The new AR experience gives this cooperation a digital space of its own: four different locations become part of the same story, crossing borders through a shared commitment to a cleaner and greener future. Ready to join the race? The GreenMascot AR experience is now available online and can be explored from your mobile device. 👉 Explore the GreenMascot AR experience: https://ar.greenmascot.eu/?c=bg Visit the venues, discover the experience and see how sport, technology and sustainability can come together in unexpected ways. It’s not a game. It’s a race. Join the race! 🌿📱

Work on Activity 1.3 – Joint development of the RACE TO SUSTAINABILITY toolkit is now underway. The toolkit is being developed to provide local authorities with practical and applicable guidance on how to use the power of sport to engage citizens, raise environmental awareness, and encourage more sustainable and environmentally friendly behaviour. Developed jointly by the GreenMascot project partners, the toolkit will bring together practical approaches, ideas, and tools that can support municipalities in planning and implementing sustainability initiatives in and through sport. The development process builds on the findings of the Capacity Assessment and aims to respond directly to the real needs and challenges identified by local authorities across the Black Sea Basin region. Step by step, we are racing towards a more sustainable future.

The GreenMascot transnational Capacity Assessment under Activity 1.2 has been completed, providing valuable insights into how municipalities across the Black Sea Basin currently approach environmental sustainability in and through sport. The assessment involved representatives of municipalities, sports departments, sports clubs, public institutions and other local stakeholders in Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Türkiye. Through interviews and focus group discussions, the project partners explored existing environmental practices, institutional strengths and weaknesses, administrative barriers, stakeholder cooperation, monitoring approaches, capacity gaps and future training needs. A diverse regional picture Municipalities participating in the assessment represented very different local realities – from large urban centres and coastal municipalities to small rural, mountain and tourism-oriented communities. This diversity helped the project identify both common regional challenges and differences linked to local context, administrative capacity, available resources and sports infrastructure. Despite these differences, one message was clear: municipalities increasingly recognise the importance of sustainability in sport and are willing to introduce greener practices. At the same time, sustainability measures are still often implemented as individual operational actions rather than being embedded in long-term strategies. Municipalities frequently lack practical methodologies, measurable indicators, dedicated staff and sufficient financial resources. Behavioural change among participants and citizens also remains one of the most challenging areas. Good practices are already emerging The assessment also identified many encouraging examples from across the participating countries. Local authorities are already experimenting with waste separation and recycling, clean-up activities, reduction of single-use plastics, renewable energy in sports infrastructure, rainwater harvesting, digital communication instead of printed materials and community-based environmental campaigns. Sport is also increasingly being used as a platform for wider community engagement. Environmental walks, volunteer initiatives, school activities and awareness campaigns demonstrate how sporting activities can help connect environmental protection with public participation and local action. From assessment to practical solutions   One of the strongest conclusions is that municipalities do not need complicated sustainability systems. They need practical, flexible and easy-to-use tools that can be adapted to their specific circumstances. Among the most frequently identified needs are: practical checklists and ready-to-use templates; simple monitoring indicators and evaluation tools; communication and awareness-raising materials; adaptable solutions for municipalities of different sizes; training and exchange of good practices; stronger cooperation with schools, sports clubs, NGOs, volunteers and local businesses. The assessment therefore recommends that future GreenMascot tools focus on simplicity, accessibility, adaptability and low-cost implementation. Building the GreenMascot Toolkit around real local needs The findings of Activity 1.2 will now directly support the development of the RACE TO SUSTAINABILITY Toolkit, as well as future training, pilot activities and awareness-raising actions. Most importantly, the assessment confirms that municipalities across the Black Sea Basin are motivated to strengthen the connection between sport, environmental protection and community engagement. While capacities and resources differ, there is strong common interest in learning from each other and turning existing good practices into more structured and lasting approaches. The Capacity Assessment is therefore not only a snapshot of where municipalities stand today – it is the starting point for developing practical solutions that can help make sport across the Black Sea Basin greener, more responsible and more sustainable.  

On 6 March 2026, the partners of the GreenMascot project held a follow-up meeting after the International Meeting and the World Café workshop organised in Constanța, Romania. The meeting brought together representatives of all partner organisations to review the outcomes of the international activities and to discuss the next steps in the implementation of the project. The partners exchanged ideas and experiences related to the development of project activities aimed at promoting environmental awareness and sustainable behaviour through sport. During the meeting, special attention was given to the coordination of the upcoming communication and dissemination activities. The partners discussed how to promote the project more actively through social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram, with the aim of reaching wider audiences and encouraging greater engagement from young people, sports organisations and local communities. The meeting also provided an opportunity to strengthen cooperation among the partner organisations and to ensure effective coordination of the next stages of the project. Through continuous collaboration and knowledge exchange, the partners aim to successfully implement the planned activities and contribute to the overall objectives of the GreenMascot project. The GreenMascot project focuses on raising environmental awareness and promoting sustainable practices through the communicative power of sport. By working together across borders, the project partners aim to inspire communities to adopt more environmentally responsible behaviour and to contribute to a cleaner and greener Black Sea region. Together we continue the Race to Sustainability through sport.

Within the framework of the GreenMascot project, funded under the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme, an International Meeting and World Café session took place on 05 March 2026 in Constanța, Romania. The event brought together representatives of partner organisations, local authorities, experts and stakeholders to exchange experiences, discuss good practices and explore innovative approaches to promoting environmental awareness through sport across the Black Sea Basin region. The meeting was hosted by the Romanian partner Mare Nostrum – Ecological NGO. The event provided an opportunity for in-depth discussions on the role of sport as a powerful tool for raising public awareness about environmental protection, reducing pollution and encouraging more sustainable behaviour within communities. The GreenMascot project is implemented by an international partnership including Youth Sport Club Varna (Bulgaria) as Lead Partner, Çorlu Municipality Youth and Sports Club (Türkiye), Municipality of the Heroic City of Naoussa (Greece), and Mare Nostrum – Ecological NGO (Romania). The project aims to strengthen the capacity of local administrations and the sports community to promote environmentally responsible behaviour through sport and to increase public awareness about protecting nature and reducing pollution. During the meeting, project partners presented the progress achieved so far and discussed the upcoming activities of the project. Particular attention was given to strengthening cooperation between local authorities, sports organisations and educational institutions in order to introduce more sustainable practices when organising sports events and initiatives. The World Café session encouraged open dialogue and active participation among attendees. Through small-group discussions, participants shared ideas and experiences on how sport can serve as an effective tool for raising environmental awareness, engaging young people and promoting more sustainable lifestyles. The event in Constanța once again highlighted the importance of transnational cooperation in addressing environmental challenges in the Black Sea region and demonstrated how the exchange of knowledge and good practices can contribute to building a greener and more sustainable future through sport.

On 05 March 2026, the partners of the international project GreenMascot will meet in Constanța, Romania to hold a working conference and an interactive discussion in World Café format. The event is part of the project GreenMascot: Strengthening BSB Local Capacities for Environmental Awareness in and through sport, which aims to strengthen the capacity of local authorities and communities in the Black Sea Basin to promote sustainability and raise environmental awareness through the power of sport. As part of the project’s preparatory activities, the partnership has already successfully identified and selected 32 good practices (8 per partner country), related to sustainable sport initiatives, environmental education, awareness-raising campaigns and green community engagement. The selection of these practices is the result of a dedicated research and analysis process carried out across the four partner countries. During the World Café in Constanța, these 32 good practices will be presented, discussed and further developed through interactive dialogue and exchange between representatives of local authorities, sports organisations, schools and NGOs. Key topics of the event will include: sustainable organisation of sports events; reducing waste and carbon footprint in sport; engaging citizens and young people in green initiatives; using sport as a powerful communication tool for behavioural change and environmental responsibility. The outcomes of the World Café will support the development of the “RACE TO SUSTAINABILITY Toolkit”, a practical solution that will provide step-by-step guidance for local administrations to plan and implement environmental awareness initiatives in and through sport. The GreenMascot project is implemented through a partnership between organisations from Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Türkiye, working together to contribute to a cleaner and greener Black Sea Basin region. Stay tuned for more updates and results from the event!