The Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) was founded in 1997 by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) to complement the Stockholm Water Prize.
Stockholm Junior Water Prize finalists 2019 from SIWI on Vimeo.
The SJWP is the world's most prestigious award presented to a high school student for a water-research project. The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has coordinated the U.S. competition since its inception in 1997, and partners closely with their Member Associations (MAs) to execute the program.
Initially, a paper competition from 1997-2001, the eligible projects were gleaned from the regional and state international Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) by MA-appointed judges. In 2002, the MAs sent their state winners to the first onsite event that was jointly hosted in Dallas, TX by WEF and the Water Environment Association of Texas. The event was modeled after the international event, including three days of competition and social activities, and up until 2013, was the U.S. model.
The competition is held in June in order to send the national winner to the international competition in late August. It is open to public, private, or independent high school students in grades 9-12, that have reached the age of 15 by Aug. 1 of the competition year, and have conducted water-related science projects. Judging criteria are the same as the international competition and include ratings for relevance, methodology, subject knowledge, practical skills, creativity and paper/presentation.
The competition currently relies heavily on established science fair competitions such as the ISEF. There is also an on-line submittal opportunity to include students in private schools, home schools, or who have conducted independent projects. It is not necessary for a student to have had a project in a science fair in order to enter. A national judge's panel consists of 15-20 experts in a variety of disciplines/academia and is chaired by WEF Past President Dr. Jeanette Brown. To date, the U.S. has been awarded eight SJWP international titles, most recently Ms. Eshani Jha of California (2021).
Dr. Ramesh Goel is a professor of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology in Civil &Environmental Engineering at the University of Utah. He researches in nutrient management in wastewater, surface water quality and virology. He is associate editor of many international journals
2022 SJWP National Competition
Date & Location:
The 2022 National Competition was held in Golden, Colorado, on the Colorado School of Mines Campus. The 023 location is currently TBD.
2023 Entry Deadline: April 15, 2023
The Water Environment Federation, with support from Xylem Inc., is proud to host the 2022 US Stockholm Junior Water Prize Competition. We will accept submissions beginning December 2021 The state level competition remains the same (digital) and submissions are welcome unitl April 15.
