Clean water is becoming one of the defining challenges of the 21st century. Climate change, pollution, population growth, and aging infrastructure are pushing water systems to the brink—especially in regions already under stress. In response, XPRIZE has launched one of its most ambitious challenges yet: XPRIZE Water Scarcity, a $119 million, five-year global competition designed to unlock sustainable, affordable desalination for the world.
Why Water Scarcity Is a Global Emergency
Today, 80% of the world’s population faces serious threats to their water supply. By 2030, the world could experience a 40% shortfall in freshwater needed to meet global demand. For many low- and middle-income countries, traditional desalination is simply not an option—it is too expensive, energy-intensive, environmentally damaging, and dependent on fragile infrastructure.
As climate change accelerates droughts, heatwaves, and coastal contamination, the need for a new water paradigm has become urgent.
What Is XPRIZE Water Scarcity?
Launched on February 29, 2024, XPRIZE Water Scarcity is a $119 million global challenge running through 2028. Its goal is simple but transformative:
make seawater desalination reliable, affordable, and sustainable for billions of people.
The prize is supported by the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, the title sponsor, whose backing helps move innovations from bold ideas to real-world impact.
Rather than focusing on laboratory breakthroughs alone, this prize demands real-world performance, environmental responsibility, and scalability—especially for regions most vulnerable to water stress.
What Makes This XPRIZE Different
Unlike traditional innovation challenges, XPRIZE Water Scarcity is built around systems-level thinking. Teams must prove that their solutions:
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Work outside the lab
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Are energy-efficient and low-cost
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Do not harm marine ecosystems
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Can operate in diverse climates and geographies
The competition emphasizes deployment in places like sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, coastal urban centers, and regions facing the harshest climate impacts.
Two Tracks, One Global Goal
The competition features two major technical tracks, plus a separate ideas competition aimed at changing how the world values water.
Track A: Desalination — System-Level Innovation
This track challenges teams to deliver at least one million liters of potable water per day from seawater at the lowest sustainable cost, operating reliably for an entire year.
Key milestones include:
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Qualification testing by December 19, 2025
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Semifinals testing in Q4 2026
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Finals testing from Q4 2027 to Q3 2028
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Winners announced in Q4 2028
Track A includes multiple awards throughout the competition, with Grand Prize awards of $40M, $20M, and $10M for first, second, and third place.
Track B: Desalination — Novel Materials and Methods
Track B focuses on breakthrough science. Teams must demonstrate new materials or methods that can sustainably and cost-effectively turn seawater into drinking water, with an operational lifetime of 10 years or more.
Key milestones include:
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Qualification testing by March 20, 2026
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Semifinals in Q4 2026
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Finals in Q3 2027
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Winners announced in Q4 2027
Top teams will compete for $8M, $1M, and $500K in final prizes, along with milestone awards that support early innovation.
The Ideas Competition: Changing How We Value Water
Beyond technology, XPRIZE Water Scarcity also recognizes that solving water scarcity requires cultural change. The Ideas Competition: The Value of Water invites teams to create inclusive, engaging campaigns that reshape how societies understand and value water.
Prizes range from $30,000 to $5,000, supporting creative approaches to public engagement and education.
Why This Matters for Climate Tech
Desalination has long been viewed as a last resort—too costly, too polluting, too centralized. XPRIZE Water Scarcity is rewriting that narrative by pushing innovators to build systems that:
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Run on clean or low-energy inputs
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Minimize brine and ecosystem damage
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Operate independently of fragile infrastructure
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Scale globally without sacrificing affordability
By tapping into Earth’s largest water source—the ocean—this prize aims to make safe, abundant water a shared global resource, not a luxury.
A Turning Point for Global Water Access
XPRIZE Water Scarcity represents more than a competition. It is a coordinated effort to redefine how humanity sources, values, and manages water in a climate-changed world.
As the next five years unfold, the technologies born from this challenge could reshape cities, agriculture, disaster resilience, and public health for generations to come. In a future defined by climate stress, clean water may be our most powerful form of adaptation—and this XPRIZE is helping make it possible.
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