Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, honored the winners of the fourth Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award during a ceremony held at Emirates Towers in Dubai.

The event was attended by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai.

The award is organized under the auspices of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia UAE) and falls within the framework of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives.

This year's event recognized 12 winners from eight countries with a total prize pool of $1 million.

The award comprises four main categories: Innovative Projects, Innovative Research and Development, Innovative Individual, and Innovative Crisis Solutions.

In his remarks at the ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed highlighted the UAE's commitment to expanding its humanitarian impact and leveraging innovation to enhance the quality of life for millions globally.

He stated, "Humanity today faces numerous challenges, and the scarcity of clean water is among the most pressing.

We are committed to driving innovation to deliver sustainable solutions that advance the UAE’s vision of utilizing technology to serve humanity and extend support to communities suffering from water scarcity."

Saeed Al Tayer, chairman of the board of trustees of Suqia UAE, expressed gratitude to Sheikh Mohammed for honoring the award winners and for his continual support of humanitarian efforts.

Al Tayer emphasized that the award embodies Sheikh Mohammed’s vision for fostering solutions that address critical global needs and underlines the UAE’s persistent commitment to combatting water scarcity.

According to United Nations reports, approximately 2.2 billion people globally lack access to safe drinking water.

Additionally, UNICEF reports that over 1,000 children under five die daily from diseases associated with inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Many communities worldwide continue to confront significant shortages of clean water.

As Suqia UAE marks its 10th anniversary, it has implemented over 1,000 sustainable water projects in collaboration with Emirates Red Crescent and various partners, positively impacting approximately 15 million people across 37 countries.

Al Tayer remarked that these efforts demonstrate the vital role of innovative solutions in addressing the global water crisis.

The award serves as a platform that reinforces the UAE's leading role in humanitarian work, grounded in the values of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The award has also attracted a broader participation over its editions, with 31 winners recognized from 22 countries in the previous three events.

This year, applications were submitted from 46 countries.

Sheikh Mohammed honored 12 winners for their pioneering innovations that tackle water scarcity and provide safe drinking water to vulnerable communities.

The winners in the various categories included:

INNOVATIVE PROJECTS AWARD – LARGE PROJECTS

First place: Green Waste Solutions Trading DMCC (UAE) for its LANDCO Tech project that converts organic waste and wastewater into renewable energy and clean drinking water.

Second place: Sustainability Investment Promotion and Development Joint Stock Company (Vietnam) for its initiative using ceramic impregnated nano-silver pot filters, benefitting vulnerable schools and communities.

Third place: Sotrad Water Srl (Belgium) for its solar-powered Pump&Drink® - Hydro1000 solution.

INNOVATIVE PROJECTS AWARD – SMALL PROJECTS

First place: Kumulus SAS (France) for its Kumulus Water project, generating drinking water from air using solar power.

Second place: Jiangsu Fenghai New Energy Seawater Desalination Development Co Ltd and Hangzhou Sunup Environmental Technology Co Ltd (China) for their Intelligent Microgrid Seawater Treatment project.

Third place: FountAir LTD (Hong Kong) for its AIR4WATER project that provides up to 150 litres of water daily.

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AWARD – INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

First place: STEM SAS (France) for its AQUAHIVE system utilizing energy-efficient membrane distillation technology.

Second place: Energy and Water Company (Neom, Saudi Arabia) for an innovative mineral extraction project alongside desalination.

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AWARD – NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

First place: Khalifa University (UAE) for its fresh water generator replicating natural evaporation processes.

INNOVATIVE CRISIS SOLUTIONS AWARD

First place: SkyJuice Foundation Inc (Australia) for its SkyHydrant Emergency Safe Water Solution, deployed in various crisis-affected areas.

INNOVATIVE INDIVIDUAL AWARD – DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH AWARD

First place: Professor Guihua Yu (US) for innovative technologies in solar-powered water purification.

INNOVATIVE INDIVIDUAL AWARD – YOUTH AWARD

First place: Zhenyuan Xu (China) for his Passive Solar Distillation system aimed at sustainable development.