Bangladesh Stockholm Junior Water Prize concludes
The Bangladesh Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2026 award ceremony took place today (5 May) at Coventina Lake Suites, Gulshan, Dhaka.
Commencing at 3pm, the event brought together contestants from across Bangladesh, along with guests and stakeholders.
Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Nicolas Weeks attended as the chief guest, with WaterAid Bangladesh Country Director Hasin Jahan serving as the special guest.
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Safwat Ishrak and Mahadia Mutmainna Binte Ahmed hosted the programme.
The twelfth edition of the Bangladesh Stockholm Junior Water Prize commenced on 1 November 2025, open to participants aged 15 to 20.
Fifty-three research papers were submitted by registered participants. Following an impartial evaluation, six teams advanced to the national competition.
The national round took place on 24 April at the Institute of Appropriate Technology, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
A jury panel comprising experts from academia, development organisations, and international bodies evaluated the competition.
The jury included Nayöka Martinez Bäckström, First Secretary for Environment and Climate Change and Deputy Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden; Professor Dr Tanvir Ahmed, Department of Civil Engineering, BUET; Professor Dr Mohidus Samad Khan, Department of Chemical Engineering, BUET, Director of IAT-BUET and Project Manager of ESTex; Mohammad Monirul Alam, WES Officer at UNICEF Bangladesh; Abdullah Al Muyeed, Chief Operating Officer, CWIS-FSM Support Cell at DPHE; Professor Dr Sara Nowreen, Institute of Water and Flood Management, BUET; and Dr Asef Mohammad Redwan, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at North South University.
Six finalist teams competed in the national round, representing leading educational institutions from across Bangladesh.
The teams included Inonova, Rizz-O-Sphere, Epsilon, The Salting Out, Faujian, and Captain Obvious.
Following impartial assessment, Fahad Mahmud (Dhaka Residential Model College) and Asif Al Momen Chowdhury (Dhaka College) of Team Rizz-O-Sphere were declared winners of the Bangladesh Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2026.
They will represent Bangladesh at the international stage in Sweden.
Their project developed a nature-based, zero-waste, circular-economy-inspired invisible infrastructure that transforms soil into a self-regulating water-retention system.
By stimulating soil microbes to form protective biofilms, the project enhances soil moisture retention, thereby benefiting vulnerable farming communities.
Swedish Ambassador Nicolas Weeks, speaking at the event, commended the participants' curiosity and commitment.
"To all the competitors, your ideas matter, your efforts matter. Keep asking questions, keep innovating, keep pushing for change," Weeks said.
The jury panel praised all teams for their research-oriented, innovative, and sincere efforts in addressing water-related challenges.
They also expressed hope that the champion team would successfully represent Bangladesh internationally.
The event was organised by the House of Volunteers Foundation, Bangladesh, nominated by the Stockholm International Water Institute.
WaterAid Bangladesh partnered as associate organiser, while ITN-BUET, ESTex, and The Business Standard served as strategic, technical, and media partners respectively.
