Water issues are global, and they require global solutions. World Water Week is an annual gathering of experts, innovators, policymakers, and advocates who are dedicated to safeguarding one of the most precious resources our Earth has to offer.
World Water Week takes place every year in Stockholm around late August to early September. Started by the SIWI in 1991, it’s one of the largest Global Water Conferences in the world. Scholars, innovators, activists, and people from many professional backgrounds educate one another on water issues and share water innovations.
This year, World Water Week is from August 20-24. Every year usually features a theme, and this year it is Seeds of Change: Innovative Solutions for a Water-wise World. It focuses on water management when water is scarce or unstable. World Water Week is for everyone, so here are three opportunities World Water Week gives you:
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize
The Stockholm Water Prize is widely regarded as the Nobel Prize for water since it was introduced in 1991. It’s awarded to organizations and individuals who have made monumental and extraordinary achievements related to water. Candidates are nominated by people they don’t have any professional or familial ties to, and a laureate (the winner of the prize) is announced in March, during World Water Day. For example, a nominee could be an organization that has greatly impacted Water Policy, or an individual who has made immense contributions to water research. Nominations are open right now, and the laureate will be appointed in March 2024, and awarded at World Water Week of the same year.
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is a competition for 15 to 20-year-old students who have developed water issue-related research projects. Competitions are held at a national level, and then the winners from each country compete to participate in The Stockholm Junior Water Prize. This competition is widely considered to be the most prestigious competition for young adults in Water Research. It’s a wonderful opportunity to share your research and a great reason to start a water-related research project.
In the United States, statewide competitions are held, and a national winner is determined from the statewide winners. If you are a California resident, here is a flyer with details about how to submit your project. Winners get a cash prize, and the first-place winner progress to the national competition. There are three different awards
Attending World Water Week
Professors, Activists, Scientists, and students from all around the world attend World Water Week, and it can be a great learning experience. If you’re interested in Water and Environmental issues, this can be a resource to expand your knowledge on how Water issues are approached around the world, and a good networking opportunity.
You can attend online or in person. Online attendance is free, so check it out at this link. Most of the events are available to attend and view online, so even if you won’t be able to participate in Networking in-person events, you can still learn from and be a part of World Water Week.
Volunteering and Junior Rapporteurs
People over the age of 18 can participate as Volunteer Assistants. While volunteering and helping out at the events, you receive free access to all the World Water Week events. Next year, you can apply for the 2024 session. This is a great way to attend World Water Week if admission isn’t affordable for you.
If you are 18-35, you can also apply to be a Junior Rapporteur at the event. Rapporteurs attend all the World Water Week Sessions and identify water-related problems, learn about solutions, and share their findings from World Water Week in a final Report. The rapporteurs have been selected, but you can still check it out next year.
There’s so much more!
These are only some opportunities you have as a young scholar or water activist in World Water Week. World Water Week is such an informative and important event in the Water Activism and Research community. Check out the World Water Week website, as well as the Stockholm International Water Institute’s website if you’re interested in more info.
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