Suqia UAE highlights impact‑driven innovation in fifth cycle of Mohammed bin Rashid Global Water Award

The UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia UAE) has released updated guidelines for the fifth cycle of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award, which offers USD 1 million in prizes and is open for submissions until 30 April 2026. The guidance clarifies key eligibility and evaluation criteria, including confirmation that holding a patent is not required to apply and that intellectual property rights remain fully protected, with ownership retained by applicants throughout the submission process. Suqia emphasised that the primary evaluation criterion is an innovation’s ability to deliver measurable, real‑world impact by providing clean and safe water to communities in need.

The fifth cycle of the award comprises four categories: the Innovative Projects Award, the Innovative Research and Development Award, the Innovative Individual Award and the Innovative Crisis Solutions Award. The award seeks to advance technologies that desalinate and purify water using renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric, osmosis and geothermal.

Suqia officials noted that applications may be redirected to a more suitable category, where appropriate and stressed the importance of demonstrating water quality and safety, as well as production capacity, in line with World Health Organization guidelines and local environmental and social standards. For this cycle, the award has strengthened its ‘creativity and innovation’ criteria by integrating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence to accelerate the deployment of practical, scalable solutions.

Applicants are required to demonstrate how renewable energy is integrated or utilised by their solutions, supported by an environmental impact assessment covering water production, desalination, purification or project management, as applicable. They are also encouraged to highlight financial viability, including lifecycle cost analysis outlining payback periods and internal rate of return, as well as adaptability to local environments and prospects for future improvement.

Submissions are required to clearly articulate what is new and innovative, showcase efficient and replicable water solutions and outline stakeholder engagement, including partners, sponsors, customers, end users or the wider public.

For the Innovative Projects Award and the Innovative Crisis Solutions Award, the technology must be owned by the applicant organisation or company and supported by a registered commercial licence. The Innovative Research and Development Award requires the project to be owned by the sponsoring academic, research, institutional or corporate entity, with submissions presented by project supervisors and formally accredited by the sponsoring organisation.

Submissions can be made via www.mbrwateraward.ae/awards, and inquiries can be sent to award@suqia.ae