Canadian Teenagers Win 2010 Stockholm Junior Water Prize

The International Jury motivated the award in its citation: "Every year more and more chemical debris is introduced in the environment and water bodies around the world. Research has shown these chemicals can release toxics into the water, they can be harmful for the environment, and deadly to life in water. Much of the debris in the world's waterways are plastics which is used for fast food containers, disposable cups, and packing material for example. The winning project created a novel approach to break down these plastics using micro-organisms and enzymes that are cost effective, and readily available. This method could greatly reduce the amount of plastics that end up in the world's waters."
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"Expanded Polystyrine (EPS) is a great threat to the environment since it contributes to the spread of toxins such as styrene and bisphenol A into our waters. We hope that our method will be widely used and consequently increase the water quality in the world," said the winners after receiving the prize.

The international Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition brings together the world's brightest young scientists to encourage their continued interest in water and the environment. The international winner receives a USD 5,000 award and a prize sculpture. As a result of the competitions, thousands of young people around the world become interested in water.

Excellence Diploma to China A Diploma of Excellence was given to Ms. Yingxin Li, Mr. Zhaonan Yang and Ms. Wanling Chen from China for their project "Novel Soil Remedation Technology for South China". The international Jury said "their project neatly addresses the theme of this year's World Water Week: The water quality challenge. The team of extremely enthusiastic and dedicated students worked both in the field and in the laboratory for a long time. Their effort resulted in an exceptional report dealing with several crucial water quality-related problems including fertiliser loss, recycling of waste, and the improvement of soil fertility. The technique developed by the students holds great promise to help solve some of today's most pressing problems within the agricultural sector."

The Netherlands delegation, with Evelien van Zwol, Lianne Siemensma and Wouter van der Wal from OSG Sevenwolden, surprised the jury with a concept to disinfect water using a piezo element. The water and the jerrycan where the water is stored in thus are cleaned, thus increasing confidence in the quality of the drinking water. Event sponsor ITT and Water for People however will consider implementing the idea.