CEDA waived the registration fees for students attending Dredging Days 2007 and was rewarded with 25 students and a good number of young professionals attending the conference. One of the participating colleges even based an examination question on the conference papers to make sure that all students paid close attention to the presentations and took notes.

Ms Gunnild Volund, chairperson of CEDA's Development Committee said, 'Imagine a world without students and young professionals joining the dredging business. We need you to come join us since the future presents huge challenges at the frontiers of our knowledge.'

CEDA invited students and young professionals under the age of 35 to participate in specially designed CEDA Dredging Days 2007 poster competition with a theme of showing what the world would look like without dredging. the submitted posters were on display during the two day conference.

The first prize of €1,000 was presented to Gert Jan Roelse and Simon de Waard from ROC Zeeland in the Netherlands for a poster with high visual impact. Announcing the award, Neville Burt, CEDA director and chairman of the CEDA Environment Commission said this entry's words were brief, clear and relevant to the issues and were accompanied by striking high quality photos.

The second prize of €500 went to Gary Hodgetts of CEFAS in the UK. Neville Burt summarised the views of the judging panel when he said the author had given much thought to the question of what happens if dredging stopped. A good choice of photos illustrated both the practical needs and the environmental concerns.

The third prize of €250 was awarded to John Heinen of ROC Zeeland. His theme 'No Dredging, No Holland' brought out the historical aspects of the industry, with images of bygone dredging techniques which shaped the country and have defended it since. Neville Burt said this was particularly relevant today as the nation waits to see if Dutch flood defences are sufficient to withstand a storm surge of the type which caused devastation in both Holland and the UK in 1953.