SJWP Eligibility Criteria

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The competition is open to any high school student in grades 9 through 12, who has conducted a water-related science project and reached the age of 15 by Aug. 1 of the competition year.

Teams of up to two students may enter. Projects should be aimed at enhancing the quality of life through improvement of water quality, water resources management, or water and wastewater treatment.  Projects can explore water issues on local, regional, national, or global issues. It is essential that all projects use a research-oriented approach, which means they must use scientifically accepted methodologies for experimentation, monitoring, and reporting, including statistical analysis.

All students must enter their State SJWP Competition. National competition entries are open to SJWP State winners only. 

Entries into the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition are judged based on six different criteria: relevance, creativity, methodology, subject knowledge, practical skills, and report and presentation. Unlike other science competitions, this competition weighs the quality of the scientific research paper much more heavily than the poster presentation.

The following criteria and paper guidelines are designed to provide direction for students who are entering projects into this competition. There are no specific paper guidelines for the state competition--all submissions will be evaluated. However, those students who advance to the national competition must comply with these national paper guidelines: 

Students are also encouraged to use the ISEF Rules Wizard to ensure they are following safe handling processes. It is not necessary to return the forms generated from this tool.

Are you interested in serving as a mentor, or a student looking for a mentor to provide guidance on your project?  Take a look at our Mentor Guide.

The Stockholm Junior Water Prize International Competition

World Water Week 2017: A look back at highlights from the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.

State SJWP Competition

Apply Here

Entry Deadline: April 15, 2020*
To be eligible for the state competition, students must complete the online entry form and electronically submit their research paper. There are no specific paper guidelines at the state level, however the file cannot be larger than 2MB. Teams of one or two students may enter. Only one person from a team should submit the project online, but must complete the information for both team members if applicable.  To view what information is needed for the entry form, click here.

Based on the papers, and in some cases personal interviews at science fairs, a group of water professionals will identify the best water-related science project from each state. State winners will be announced online at www.sjwp.org on May 5th of the competition year.  Some states may have an extended deadline; click below to find your state's deadline.

State winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip the national SJWP competition and must be available to attend the national competition June 18-21, 2020.

State winners will be announced online on May 5, 2020.

*State deadlines may vary. For specific information on your state, consult the State Contacts, Deadlines and Awards List.

National SJWP Competition

Entry Deadline: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 (Open to State Winners Only)

ENTER COMPETITION

Prior to the national competition, SJWP state winners must modify their written research papers to meet the National Paper Guidelines, and submit them electronically no later than Wednesday, May 20, 2020.  

To be eligible to compete at the national level, state winners must be able to attend the digital U.S. competition. Events will be held June 4th (3 PM EST); June 11th (3 PM EST); and June 20th (interview times to be announced), 2020.   

Judges will select the national winner based on six criteria and will place weight on both the quality of the research paper and the project ownership and knowledge shown in a 3-minute video (due Tuesday, May 26th). The National SJWP winner (at least one member if a team)  must be available to participate digitally in the SJWP international competition, hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute, in August 2020, or the prize will be awarded to the first runner-up.

Details on the digital international competition are evolving. To learn more about the SJWP international competition, visit www.siwi.org.

For more information, please email [email protected] or call Brad Lovett at 703-684-2454.