Since 2000 a group of experts from Germany, Austria and Switzerland have chosen a spider species for a year to be the focus on interest. After the water spider (2001) came the wasp spider (2002), the nursery web spider (2003), the green huntsman spider (2004) and the zebra spider (2005). While the project began in the German-speaking countries, Belgian and Dutch colleagues joined in 2005. For 2006 a proper European project was organised for the first time. The project should show the fascinating side of these very useful animals.

The European Spider of the Year is presented on several other websites, e.g. (in english) at European Society of Arachnology.