Innovation for every drop

About 2.1 billion people worldwide still lack access to safely managed drinking water services, according to the World Health Organization and UNICEF’s Joint Monitoring Programme.

Despite the availability of freshwater resources globally, millions living in arid and hard-to-reach regions are left without reliable access. For many, accessing water requires hours of daily travel, a burden that falls largely on women and children, amounting to an estimated 250 million hours spent collecting water each day, according to UN Women’s 2024 gender snapshot. Access alone is not enough, as the water collected is often unsafe, exposing communities to preventable diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid.

Addressing this reality requires solutions that can be deployed where they are needed most, while remaining adaptable, sustainable, and capable of delivering impact at scale. A key initiative in this global effort is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award, supervised by Suqia UAE, the UAE Water Aid Foundation. Held under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, the award serves as a global platform to recognize, incentivize, and accelerate the development of sustainable water solutions powered by renewable energy.

By shining a spotlight on innovation and enabling visibility and scale, the award contributes to improvements in how water is produced, treated, and delivered worldwide.

A platform for innovation and impact

The award was established to inspire the development of innovative technologies that can produce, desalinate, distribute, store, and purify water using renewable energy sources. Its purpose is to encourage and reward breakthrough ideas that address water scarcity, particularly in communities affected by poverty, climate vulnerability, and disasters.

Over time, the award has evolved to reflect global needs and technological progress. What began with a focus on solar-powered solutions has expanded to include a broader range of renewable energy technologies such as wind, biomass, geothermal, ocean, and gradient salinity. This ensures that recognized solutions are adaptable, context-specific, and capable of operating across diverse environments.

Importantly, the award’s structure is designed to engage innovation at every level – from large-scale, implemented projects to research advancements and individual contributions. This inclusive framework strengthens the global pipeline of ideas and promotes solutions that are both practical and scalable.

Advancing SDG 6 through innovation

The award aligns closely with Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. By incentivizing innovation and recognizing impactful solutions, the award helps to accelerate progress toward universal access to safe drinking water.

Beyond recognition, the award creates a global platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration. It brings together innovators, researchers, and institutions to share insights, showcase solutions, and inspire further advancements, amplifying the collective effort to address water scarcity.

Recognizing solutions that deliver real impact

Since its inception in 2015, the award has recognized 43 winners from 26 countries, reflecting its global reach and influence. These innovators have developed solutions that are not only technologically advanced but also practical, scalable, and impactful. The results are tangible. In the fourth cycle alone, recognized solutions have reached more than 14 million beneficiaries worldwide, demonstrating how innovation – when supported and scaled – can deliver meaningful outcomes.

Among the recognized innovations are solar-powered desalination systems providing reliable drinking water in off-grid and remote areas. Other solutions include compact, portable purification units designed for rapid deployment in emergencies, capable of delivering safe water within 48 hours of a disaster.

Several projects have also introduced integrated, circular systems that combine water treatment with renewable energy generation and resource efficiency. These solutions not only address immediate needs but also contribute to long-term sustainability.

What distinguishes these innovations is their adaptability. Designed to operate in challenging environments, from rural communities to disaster zones, they demonstrate how technology can be applied effectively where it matters most.

Enabling a global innovation ecosystem

A key strength of the award lies in its ability to engage a diverse range of participants – from corporations and research institutions to startups, young people, and individual innovators. Through its structured categories, the award ensures that innovation is recognized and encouraged across all levels.

This inclusivity is essential. Addressing global water challenges requires diverse perspectives and interdisciplinary collaboration. By creating a platform that brings together different stakeholders, the award fosters solutions that are not only innovative but also inclusive and contextually relevant. In addition to recognition, the award provides visibility and credibility, enabling innovators to scale up their solutions, attract partnerships, and expand their impact globally.

The 5th cycle: integrating AI for smarter water solutions

As technological advancements reshape global systems, the fifth cycle of the award introduces a forward-looking focus on artificial intelligence (AI). This reflects a growing recognition of the role digital technologies can play in addressing complex challenges such as water scarcity.

AI offers new possibilities for optimizing water systems – from predictive monitoring and process automation to demand forecasting and operational efficiency. By encouraging the integration of AI and machine learning, the award promotes solutions that are not only sustainable but also intelligent and adaptive. This evolution ensures that the award remains aligned with global technological trends while continuing to prioritize real-world impact and scalability.

A call to innovate

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award is
more than recognition – it is a catalyst for innovation. It invites innovators, researchers, institutions, and changemakers to contribute solutions that can shape a more sustainable future. With a total prize pool of USD 1 million, the award provides both recognition and opportunity. It enables ideas to gain visibility, credibility, and momentum, transforming innovation into impact.

Applications for the fifth cycle are open until 30 September 2026, inviting innovators around the world to step forward, share their ideas, and be part of a global effort to address one of humanity’s most urgent challenges.

Applications can be submitted via: www.mbrwateraward.ae/awards and inquiries can be sent to award@suqia.ae

Every drop counts

As the world faces increasing water stress, the need for innovative and sustainable solutions has never been greater.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award demonstrates the power of recognition and collaboration in accelerating progress. By enabling innovation and amplifying impact, the award is contributing to a future where clean water is accessible to all, ensuring that every drop truly counts.