The ESPO secretariat received six submissions for the 17th edition of the ESPO Award.

Aligned with this year's theme, “Ports that have developed innovative policies and/or strategies to successfully attract more women to work in ports,” the ESPO Award 2025 will be handed over given to the port managing body that actively promotes a supportive and inclusive work environment for female professionals, thereby advancing gender balance. ESPO members could send their applications until Friday 4 July.

The following six applications will be running for the ESPO Award 2025 (listed in alphabetical order by country):

Port of Helsinki (Finland)
Assoporti (Italy)
Port of Rotterdam (the Netherlands)
Port of Gdynia (Poland)
Port of Lisbon (Portugal)
Shoreham Port Authority (United Kingdom)
The ESPO Award winning port is selected by an independent jury of international experts, under the Chairmanship of Eamonn O ‘Reilly, former Chair of ESPO.

ESPO Award 2024 Ceremony

“The ESPO Award was established to promote the societal integration of ports and cities. It is difficult to think of many more effective strategies to achieve this than by having inclusive employment policies which are reflective of wider society and which promote gender balance and diversity throughout the sector. It makes no sense for ports to have employment barriers which limit the talent pool we look to for the increasingly wide and specialised skillsets needed in modern ports. The strong field of applications this year provides valuable exemplars to inspire other ports and demonstrates continued progress across the sector to enhance the societal integration of Europe's ports”, says E. O ‘Reilly.

The winner will be announced at the ESPO Award Ceremony and Dinner taking place on November 5 at the Hotel des Douanes in Brussels. The ESPO Award painting 2025 will be part of a series created exclusively for ESPO by Dutch painter Sasja Hagens.

To promote the efforts made by different European Ports in improving city-port relations through innovative projects, ESPO established the ESPO Award on Societal Integration of Ports in 2009.
Source: ESPO