Since 2001, Morocco has championed the protection and celebration of its 3 500 km of coastline through the Lalla Hasnaa Sustainable Coastline Awards, an initiative of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection under the leadership of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa. Born from the original “Clean Beaches” program, the awards have evolved into a flagship model for community-driven coastal sustainability; one that perfectly embodies the spirit of Blue Flag, the international FEE program recognised for environmental education, citizen engagement, biodiversity protection, and waste reduction.
Each biennial edition invites municipalities, NGOs, schools, businesses, and individuals to submit their most innovative coastal projects. From brightly colored, fish-shaped recycling bins that capture the public’s imagination to the transformation of plucked plastic waste into functional art, these initiatives spark real change on the sand. Winning efforts to date have included inclusive boardwalks that grant beach access to people with reduced mobility and citizen-science campaigns that map microplastic hotspots, all evaluated by an independent jury of marine scientists, sustainability experts, and community leaders for relevance, measurable impact, creativity, and potential to inspire replication elsewhere.
Participation has steadily increased over the editions, with a total of 440 applications and nearly 100 projects awarded across the four editions, reflecting a growing national momentum for environmental engagement and illustrating the Moroccan population’s increasing ownership of their coastal heritage. The Fifth Edition of the Lalla Hasnaa Sustainable Coastline Awards marks a significant milestone, guided by themes aligned with UNESCO’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030; an alignment intended to steer projects toward priorities such as ecosystem restoration, marine biodiversity, and sustainable livelihoods.
Since that alignment began at the fourth edition in 2022, the awards have been officially recognized within UNESCO’s Ocean Decade framework, solidifying their role in advancing key Sustainable Development Goals. By promoting quality education through youth‑focused workshops, ensuring clean water and sanitation via rigorous beach‑cleaning benchmarks, fostering sustainable communities through public‑space rehabilitation, championing climate action with low‑emission solutions, safeguarding life below water with scientific monitoring, and forging strong partnerships across sectors, the Trophies directly contribute to SDGs 4, 6, 11, 13, 14, and 17.
This international visibility underscores the Trophies’ effectiveness as a scalable blueprint for participatory coastal governance, inspiring communities locally, nationally and regionally. While Morocco emerges as a regional leader in sustainable coastal management, the Fifth Edition of the Lalla Hasnaa Sustainable Coastline Awards invites new laureates to carry forward a legacy of innovation and stewardship. Learn more about the Lalla Hasnaa Sustainable Coastline Awards through the program’s website and follow us “@b7ar.blaplastic” on social media (Instagram and Facebook). Together, we can translate local ingenuity into lasting coastal stewardship; one beach, one community, one Trophy at a time.
