European Climate Pact: Showcasing local climate action to inspire change 

Ecorys organised an EU-wide photo competition for the European Climate Pact, inviting citizens to submit photos and captions showcasing their climate action efforts at home, in their communities, and cities. 

Introduction  

Tasked by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action, Ecorys brought a creative approach to the first-ever European Climate Pact photo competition. Designed to engage a wide audience, the competition invited people across the EU to share powerful visual stories, showcasing their commitment to innovative and impactful initiatives. The result? A resounding success that highlighted the passion and commitment of individuals across Europe to climate action. 

Project overview  

Ecorys’ project team developed a well thought-out concept and dissemination plan that detailed each phase of the competition: 

• Pre-launch preparations: Creating promotional materials, establishing timelines and setting up the competition platform. 

• Official launch: Coordinating a launch event with key stakeholders and media partners. 

• Jury and public voting: Organising a panel of judges and setting up a user-friendly voting system for the public. 

• Announcement of winners: Showcasing the competition winners across the Climate Pact’s website, social media channels and newsletter. 

• Post-competition activities: Engaging with participants and promoting their stories in diverse formats across various platforms. 

• Dissemination of results: Publishing the competition results and insights to a wide audience. 

The competition kicked off on 29 April 2024, inviting people to submit their photos by 1 July 2024.  

A five-person jury representing both the European Union and the European Climate Pact, including Pact Ambassadors Simone Padovani and Christian Clauwers, selected nine winners and runners up. A final winner was also chosen in a public vote that ran from July to early August. 

Showcasing the Winners

The 10 winning photos from the photo competition went on display during COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, offering insights into local, inspiring climate action taking place across Europe. The photos shone a light on climate efforts ranging from renewable energy projects to community-led clean ups.  

To bring these stories to life, Ecorys teamed up with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle to produce four outstanding videos detailing the winners’ personal climate journeys. They explored the stories behind the photos, revealing the passion, innovation and determination of each winner and inspiring others to take action for a sustainable future.  

Watch the videos:

Impact and Results

The results for this task significantly exceeded expectations, demonstrating the effectiveness of Ecorys’ strategy and the strong engagement of the audience. 

Ecorys surpassed the initial engagement target of 60,000, achieving over 400,000 engagements. Additionally, the impressions from digital advertising campaigns and the number of unique visitors to the landing page were nearly double the expected targets. 

Below are some key statistics from the competition: 

• Total number of applications: 311 

• Engagement from digital advertising campaigns: 413,277 

• Impressions of digital advertising campaign: 15,212,806 

• Hashtag reach during campaign period: 6,062,475 

• Total number of unique visitors to landing page: 232,998