From the Stockholm Water Prize to the Venice Water Lab, a journey through science, innovation, and education around the planet’s most precious resource. With an Italian protagonist: Andrea Rinaldo, the first national winner of the “Water Nobel.”
Water is the defining issue of our time: a vital element, a strategic resource, and a frontier increasingly exposed to the climate crisis. Protecting it, managing it, understanding it is no longer just a technical challenge—it’s a collective urgency. So much so that there is an internationally recognized prize celebrating those who have dedicated their lives to this mission. A “Water Nobel” that each year brings attention to the research, innovation, and commitment of those working to secure a future for this essential resource. Because taking care of water ultimately means taking care of the world.
Considered the most prestigious international recognition in the water sector, the Stockholm Water Prize is awarded annually to individuals, institutions, or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the protection, management, and enhancement of water resources. Established in 1991 by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and supported by partners such as the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the prize promotes an integrated and scientifically grounded approach to global water challenges.
It may be awarded to experts from a wide range of fields—from natural sciences to economics, from technology to governance. The award includes a monetary prize of $150,000. The ceremony takes place each year during World Water Week in Stockholm, attracting researchers, activists, political leaders, and international organizations. The prize is complemented by the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, aimed at younger generations, encouraging interest and commitment to a sustainable future for water resources.
The list of Stockholm Water Prize winners reflects the evolving nature of the award itself, highlighting the growing complexity of global water challenges: from climate change to food security, from biodiversity protection to environmental justice. Each winner tells a different story—but what unites them is the real-world impact of their work on the environment, health, and society.
Here is the full list:
Nowhere else in the world is water so central to the life, history, and identity of a city as it is in Venice. This awareness gave rise to the Water Lab of Università Iuav di Venezia: a forward-looking project built within a unique, fragile, and valuable context, where the human–environment relationship is under constant pressure. The Hub aims to become an international center for education and research addressing key issues related to the sea, the water cycle, sustainability, and the transformation of coastal environments, with the goal of designing new models of coexistence between development, innovation, and climate resilience.
Conceived as an open-air laboratory, the Water Hub is rooted in a region where the climate emergency is already visible: the Mediterranean is rising three times faster than expected, and Venice is among the most exposed areas. But the city is also positioning itself as a strategic outpost, where the sea is not only a threat to be contained but also a resource to be studied and enhanced.
The Hub brings together universities, institutions, and research centers—including the National Research Council and the Naval Military Institute—with the ambition of becoming a European benchmark in the Blue Economy and Blue Growth.
The academic offer is entirely in English and includes three master’s degree programs designed to meet the evolving demands of the global job market:
Beyond academic excellence, the Hub offers students an immersive and stimulating environment, in a city that is both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a cutting-edge experimental space. Here, knowledge goes beyond the classroom: students navigate, observe, measure, and design. With its long history of adaptation and innovation, Venice is the ideal setting for a new generation of engineers, planners, and water innovators.