290,000 AED Global Water Hackathon

Organization: Khalifa University

Type: Competition

Location: Global

Deadline: September 7, 2026

Funding: Fully Funded

Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi runs this with UNESCO and Youth4Water, a UNESCO flagship initiative, through its Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology. University teams pick one of six water challenge themes mapped to the UN Water pillars and SDG 6, then work online through problem framing, solution development, validation and technical review across September and October. The strongest projects pitch onsite in Abu Dhabi in December in front of policymakers, researchers and industry leaders. **What you get:** - A share of an indicative 290,000 AED prize pool: a 50,000 AED grand prize, six theme awards of 30,000 AED each, and three strategic recognition awards of 20,000 AED each - Mentoring from academic researchers, industry experts and policymakers through the development phase - Access to innovative technologies and an international collaboration network - Recognition at the onsite awarding finale in Abu Dhabi, 8 to 10 December 2026 - Opportunities for future project incubation and impact development **What you'll do:** - Register a university team of 4 to 5 students with 1 to 2 faculty advisors and 1 to 2 industry mentors - Choose one of six challenge themes: water security and sustainable desalination, water reuse and circularity, smart and AI-enabled water systems, water quality and environmental protection, the energy-water nexus and climate resilience, or integrated water governance - Work online through problem framing, research, solution development, validation and technical review - Submit a final project by 1 November 2026 - Pitch to technical review panels, a UN and policy relevance panel and a grand jury if you reach the finals **Key dates:** - Global call, team formation and registration close 7 September 2026 - Problem framing, solution development, validation and technical review phase closes 31 October 2026 - Final submission 1 November 2026 - Jury decision on finalists 6 November 2026 - Onsite project pitching and awarding finale 8 to 10 December 2026, Abu Dhabi **More information:** - Full themes, participation model, judging structure and prize breakdown are in the hackathon guidelines PDF linked from the programme site - Programme contacts at CMAT, Khalifa University: Farah.abuhatab@ku.ac.ae and thanigaivelan.arumugham@ku.ac.ae - Evaluation weighting: scientific and technical rigor 30 percent, alignment with UN Water pillars 20 percent, feasibility and scalability 20 percent, industry relevance 15 percent, quality of communication 15 percent

Khalifa UniversityCompetition

290,000 AED Global Water Hackathon

This one has closed

Archived

Opportunity type

Competition

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

What you get:

A share of an indicative 290,000 AED prize pool: a 50,000 AED grand prize, six theme awards of 30,000 AED each, and three strategic recognition awards of 20,000 AED each
Mentoring from academic researchers, industry experts and policymakers through the development phase
Access to innovative technologies and an international collaboration network
Recognition at the onsite awarding finale in Abu Dhabi, 8 to 10 December 2026
Opportunities for future project incubation and impact development

What you'll do:

Register a university team of 4 to 5 students with 1 to 2 faculty advisors and 1 to 2 industry mentors
Choose one of six challenge themes: water security and sustainable desalination, water reuse and circularity, smart and AI-enabled water systems, water quality and environmental protection, the energy-water nexus and climate resilience, or integrated water governance
Work online through problem framing, research, solution development, validation and technical review
Submit a final project by 1 November 2026
Pitch to technical review panels, a UN and policy relevance panel and a grand jury if you reach the finals

Key dates:

Global call, team formation and registration close 7 September 2026
Problem framing, solution development, validation and technical review phase closes 31 October 2026
Final submission 1 November 2026
Jury decision on finalists 6 November 2026
Onsite project pitching and awarding finale 8 to 10 December 2026, Abu Dhabi

More information:

Full themes, participation model, judging structure and prize breakdown are in the hackathon guidelines PDF linked from the programme site
Programme contacts at CMAT, Khalifa University: Farah.abuhatab@ku.ac.ae and thanigaivelan.arumugham@ku.ac.ae
Evaluation weighting: scientific and technical rigor 30 percent, alignment with UN Water pillars 20 percent, feasibility and scalability 20 percent, industry relevance 15 percent, quality of communication 15 percent

Who can apply

Open to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at recognised higher education institutions during the 2026 academic year
Open worldwide; the registration form accepts teams from any country
Teams of 4 to 5 students, with an interdisciplinary mix encouraged
1 to 2 faculty advisors from the host institution
1 to 2 dedicated industry mentors; at least one advisor or mentor is required across both roles
Eligible disciplines include, but are not limited to, engineering, science, data science, public policy, health and environmental studies
You cannot enter as an individual. Registration is by team
University students anywhere in the world who can assemble a team of four or five, with a faculty advisor from their institution and an industry mentor behind them. It suits engineering, science, data science, public policy, health and environmental studies students who want to work a real water problem up to UN Water Conference visibility.

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.

We could not fully verify this organization or all of its details. Check it independently on the official website before you apply, and never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

LOT Verification ScoreStrong

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+A prize pool of about 290,000 AED: a 50,000 AED grand prize, six theme awards of 30,000 AED and three further awards of 20,000 AED.
+Free to enter, open to university students anywhere in the world.
+You get mentoring from academic researchers, industry experts and policymakers through the development phase.
+Run by Khalifa University with UNESCO, and the strongest projects pitch in person in Abu Dhabi in December.

Worth checking yourself

!You cannot enter alone. You need a team of four or five students, plus a faculty advisor from your institution and an industry mentor, and registration closes on 7 September.
!Nothing on their pages says whether travel to the December finale in Abu Dhabi is paid for, so ask the organisers before you count on getting there.
!The work runs from September through to a final submission on 1 November, so it is a real time commitment, not a single weekend.

LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.