How the Stockholm Junior Water Prize inspires young innovators to solve water challenges

This week in Stockholm, students from 36 countries gathered to share research tackling some of the world's most pressing water challenges. The 2026 Stockholm Junior Water Prize winner, Moroti Adegboyega, was recognized for Ecoferroquatics, a platform that uses AI and magnets to selectively remove plastic from water, demonstrating how young innovators are turning scientific research into practical solutions that can help communities, industries and ecosystems worldwide. The competition gives students a global platform to address real water challenges while inspiring future water leaders.

As I joined the ceremony at Stockholm City Hall this week, I was reminded that the 
future of water innovation is already here. It is driven by young people who see challenges in their communities and are applying science, creativity and determination to solve them.

Every August, during World Water Week, teenagers gather at Stockholm City Hall to present working solutions to water problems that affect their communities around the world. The 2025 winners from Germany spent four years developing a flood warning system for small streams, sensor networks linked to a live-alert app, that is already being scaled across their region. The 2024 winners from the United Kingdom built a framework for detecting and filtering PFAS, the persistent chemicals contaminating water supplies, from surface water in the Thames Basin.

The Prize has recognized this kind of work since 1997, drawing thousands of participants from more than 30 countries each year. Watching this year's finalists present their work reinforced why the program continues to matter. It offers young people a global platform to transform scientific curiosity into solutions with real-world impact.

The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is also evolving to support students beyond the competition itself. This year, the organization introduced a new University Cohort, bringing ten alumni of SJWP country-level competitions to World Water Week, not to compete but to continue their journey in the water sector. These University cohort members designed and hosted a workshop that focused on youth-led water action while learning from experts and building connections.

Why does the water sector need new voices now?

The water challenges facing communities worldwide are compounding. Floods, droughts, contamination, and aging infrastructure are converging at a time when the workforce that maintains water systems is shrinking. Experienced operators are retiring faster than new talent enters the field, creating a widening gap between what communities need and what the current workforce can deliver.

Young people bring something the sector needs: firsthand experience with water problems, and the motivation to change the status quo. Many finalists were driven by personal experiences, floods that damaged their homes, pollution in their local rivers, droughts that threatened their families’ farms. That lived connection produces solutions designed for real conditions, not laboratory ideals.

The sector also needs fresh approaches to technology. Five years ago, student projects rarely involved sensors or artificial intelligence. Today, those tools appear throughout the competition, making water monitoring and treatment more accessible and affordable than ever before.

Meet the 2026 Stockholm Junior Water Prize winner

The 2026 Stockholm Junior Water Prize, organized by the Stockholm Water Foundation, brought together national winners from 36 countries to compete at World Water Week in Stockholm. H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presents the award at Stockholm City Hall. Xylem has served as Founding Partner since the competition’s international launch in 1997.

Moroti Adegboyega from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, won the Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2026 for Ecoferroquatics, a platform that uses AI and magnets to selectively remove plastic from water.

Moroti’s winning project developed an autonomous, AI-guided robot that uses a custom ferrofluid-assisted collection system and magnets to find and remove plastic pollution from water while minimizing harm to aquatic life. In testing, the system outperformed a sieve-based approach when collecting microplastic-scale particles that often pass through conventional screening methods, demonstrating a promising alternative to many manual cleanup approaches used today. 

What sets this competition apart is that the projects are already working in the real world. The 2025 winners’ flood warning system is being scaled up across their region in consultation with multiple partners. The 2022 winner, Annabelle Rayson from Canada, researched how to treat and prevent harmful algal blooms and later became a Xylem intern, crediting the Prize for opening doors to research and an international network. The 2003 winner from South Africa turned her water-efficient gardening system into a nationwide business that still operates today.

Over nearly three decades, Stockholm Junior Water Prize projects have moved beyond student research to create real-world impact, with alumni building careers across the water sector and, in some cases, launching businesses based on their original ideas.

In my role at Xylem, I see how innovation, collaboration and education can help address complex water challenges. What stood out about many of these projects is the personal connection the students have with the problems they are solving. That connection often leads to solutions that are both practical and impactful.

The diversity of ideas represented by the finalists is what inspires me most. Together, they demonstrate that innovation can come from anywhere and that the next generation is already helping shape the future of water. As Founding Partner of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, Xylem is proud to support a program that helps nurture that curiosity, creativity and commitment to solving water challenges.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Stockholm Junior Water Prize? The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is an international competition for students aged 15 to 20 who develop research projects addressing major water challenges. It has been held annually since 1997 and attracts thousands of participants from more than 30 countries. National winners advance to the international final during World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.

Who can participate in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize? The competition is open to pre-university students aged 15 to 20 currently attending secondary school or its equivalent. Students may enter individually or in teams of up to two. Participants must have conducted a water-related research project and be nominated by their national organizer to compete internationally. The new University Cohort welcomes students at a slightly later stage in their water journey to experience World Water Week, giving SJWP alumni a chance to continue to advance their projects beyond the competition stage.

What is the prize for winning the Stockholm Junior Water Prize? The international winner receives a $15,000 scholarship and a crystal sculpture presented by H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at Stockholm City Hall. A Diploma of Excellence and People’s Choice Award are also presented each year.

Who organizes the Stockholm Junior Water Prize? The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is hosted by the Stockholm Water Foundation, with Xylem as Founding Partner. The competition has been organized annually since 1997, with national competitions run by national organizers in each participating country.