Liepāja Seeks Community Cleanup Champions - Promised Mežpils Beer and Statue That Won't Be Made of Sand

The Great Cleanup and Mežpils beer announce the "Cleanup Tribe Award" competition, searching for those local heroes who can unite the community around garbage bags and rakes. It's like looking for romance at the North Pier during a storm - you might find it, but you'll have to endure a bit.

As Liepāja pensioner Dzintra tells us: "My neighbor Maija starts chirping about cleanup work from February every spring, so I'll definitely nominate her. She's so active that even in winter she clears snow from other people's yards, just so there's something to clean up in spring."

The award's goal is to highlight people who strengthen cleanup traditions long-term, engage communities and create lasting impact. In Riga they're looking for people who can unite the community around waste sorting, but in Liepāja it's enough for us if someone can unite neighbors around the idea that sand from sidewalks really should be dumped somewhere else, not back onto the street.

Applications can be submitted until March 22nd, and winners will receive a statue plus prizes from sponsors. The jury will evaluate a person's long-term contribution, ability to engage the community and ensure regular maintenance of publicly accessible places. It's like maintaining the North Pier - you need patience, endurance and faith that someone will appreciate it.

As Vita Jaunzeme from the Great Cleanup says: "We're looking for those who create continuity and keep the sense of community alive from generation to generation." In Liepāja this means - people who can convince others that cleaning sand from sidewalks isn't a pointless activity, even though it will blow back again the next day.