The following criteria characterize the guiding principle of the Foundation Prize:

The excellent performance should serve as a role model for other people, groups and associations.

The award-winning performance should have been designed to preserve, strengthen and restore the natural functions of the Danube and its floodplains, as well as to preserve biodiversity along the Danube for future generations.

The merits should be so convincing that a counterfeiting effect is achieved. Accordingly, the best practice character and practical feasibility should be in the foreground.

Innovative, networked holistic solutions, across national boundaries, and cooperation-creating services with interdisciplinary features are given special consideration.

The foundation prize "Living Danube", endowed with 15,000 euros (money prize and kingfisher medal) , is aimed at individuals, groups and associations whose innovative measures, successful research results or life achievements are all about sustainable improvement of the natural heritage along the Danube.

The prize is awarded every two years.

Proposals may only be admitted to the procedure submitted by an institution or person nominated to the Danube Heritage Foundation.

The selection of proposals is based on the guiding principles and the target criteria that underlie the awarding of the "Living Danube" Foundation Prize.

• The members of the Foundation Council of the Foundation "Natural Heritage Danube"
• The Board of the Foundation "Natural Heritage Danube"
• The association for the promotion of the Auenzentrum Neuburg
• The Aueninstitut Neuburg
• Selected persons and organizations from the Danube region
• Members of the Priority Area 6 Steering Group of the EU Danube Region Strategy
• Previous winners of the "Living Danube" Foundation Prize

The jury is made up of representatives of environmental and nature conservation associations, the Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection, the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, the association for the promotion of the Auenzentrum Neuburg, the coordinators of the Priority Area 6 Steering Group of the EU Danube Region Strategy and the Board of the Foundation "Natural Heritage Danube"" and prepares the awarding of the prize.

The Board of the Foundation "Natural Heritage Danube" decides on the final awarding of the prize on suggestion of the appointed jury. The legal process is excluded.

The original plan was that the celebratory awards ceremony to present the ‘ The Living Danube’ foundation prize would take place at Schloss Grünau on the 28th June 2020.
However because of the Cornona pandemic the awards ceremony was then moved to the 27th June 2021.
Again, with the ongoing situation, it will be impossible to stage the event this year (2021), given the anticipated international guests.
As a result the celebrations with prize winners from2020 as well as those from 2022 will take place at Schloss Grünau on 26th June 2022 with the Bavarian Minister for the Environment and Consumer protection, Thorsten Glauber, families of the prize winners as well as numerous guests from the Environmental in attendance.
The Ministers for the environment from the prize-winners countries will also be invited to attend the event.

The Board of Trustees is awaiting further developments for the time being and will decide at short notice on the framework in which the 2024 award ceremony will be held.