Xylem is continuing to invest in youth innovation to solve the world’s water challenges with a program of more than 60 events across 47 countries.
This builds on Xylem’s 25-year sponsorship of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize with innovation competitions, community outreach initiatives and a global innovation incubator program.
The annual Stockholm Junior Water Prize, which is announced during World Water Week, brings together students from 40 countries, and has enabled an estimated 125 000 young people to bring forward solutions to urgent water challenges since the competition began in 1996.
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is one of 60 youth-oriented events that Xylem invests in around the world, under the banner of Xylem Ignite, its dedicated student development program targeting students worldwide.
Xylem Ignite was conceived in mid-2020 by a team of young professionals at Xylem, as a platform to engage the passion and creativity of students around the world. Since last year, Xylem Ignite has engaged more than 6600 students in creative water-oriented hackathons and sustainability events, including more than 650 participants from 47 countries competing in the Xylem Global Student Innovation Challenge. The challenges included reducing the water footprint of everyday products; gamifying water quality education; predicting urban floods; and designing a water system for life on Mars.
Participants can also apply to be a part of the Xylem Ignite Innovation Incubator. The Incubator program provides up to 12 months’ support for participants to scale up their innovations and advance them toward market readiness.
Through Xylem’s partnership with City Football Group and its Cityzens Giving program, the company is also empowering young people to use the power of football to provide vital water education to millions of fans around the world.
Xylem’s corporate citizenship program, Xylem Watermark, also builds awareness of water challenges through youth-led community outreach initiatives that promote water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices.
“With water challenges intensifying by the day, we are investing in the next generation of water innovators,” said Patrick Decker, Xylem’s CEO. “Young people have a leading role to play in putting water issues on the agenda – and solving them. They inspire us, and the world will gain from their passion and creativity.”
