At the first “SpongeBooster of the Year” award ceremony on 20 June, the prize went to Planar e.V. a volunteering enterprise based in Marsberg, Germany. Preceding this, a social media campaign on Bluesky, LinkedIn, X and Instagram took place to increase awareness about and celebrate their work in restoring the wetlands of the Diemel River. 

A series of posts across these platforms and dedicated coverage on SpongeBoost’s website highlighted the following efforts by the award’s winner:

• raising the waterbody

• rehydrating floodplains

• restoring wetland habitats (which leads to the return of some species) 

• refilling old meanders 

This promotion was included as part of the prize package for the award along with a field trip to the restored section of the Diemel.