Marine competition

Teams can apply for the marine competition until March 31, 2025. To do so, you should send us the application form and a self-developed project outline with your research idea. Within the thematic areas of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, you have a free choice. It is only important that the sampling and analysis can be carried out on board the research vessel ALDEBARAN as part of a week-long cruise in the North Sea or Baltic Sea or in large estuaries.

After receiving the project outlines, a highly qualified scientific jury will decide on the quality, innovativeness, feasibility and media relevance of the projects. Based on these criteria, the jury selects two to three project outlines that will be realized on board the ALDEBARAN in the summer. The winners will be informed in April and the Deutsche Meeresstiftung team will then find thematically qualified science mentors. They support and accompany the team in the further development of the project idea, the creation of a proper research outline, the preparation of the ship trip as well as the practical implementation and the final documentation of the research results.

In preparation for the excursions, the winning teams will meet with the German Ocean Foundation team in Hamburg in May/June. In a personal meeting, the teams present their projects to the science patrons and learn what they need to consider on the research vessel ALDEBARAN and how they can prepare well. Logistical details and equipment that may need to be organized before the expedition are also discussed.

The winning teams realize their research projects during the summer vacations on a one-week expedition on board the research and media ship ALDEBARAN, accompanied by the respective science mentors, the experienced ship's crew and a science coach who helps with everyday and technical matters on board. The expedition route depends on the requirements of the scientific project outline and, of course, the current weather conditions.

After the week-long cruise, each team has enough time to compile their scientific observations and results in writing. In addition, the teams can also analyze samples taken during the cruise in cooperating laboratories. The teams then compile a final report summarizing their scientific work from all the data collected and analyzed.

Following the final written report, a final colloquium will take place at the "boot" trade fair in Düsseldorf in January 2026. Here, the teams will present their research projects and results in a short presentation to the expert jury. Afterwards, the jury, invited guests and journalists will have the opportunity to ask the teams a few questions to get to know the projects better. The final report together with the final colloquium then form the basis for the ranking of the teams by the jury.

The award ceremony at the "boot" in Düsseldorf marks the festive end of the marine competition. The winning teams can also look forward to receiving non-cash prizes. Even though the marine competition officially ends for the teams here, they can continue to research their projects and submit their results to other competitions such as "Jugend forscht".

We are very proud of the fact that the quality of the work in the marine competition is so excellent that numerous teams have become state and national winners of "Jugend forscht".