By Oke Peter
XPRIZE Water Scarcity has announced 37 semifinalist teams advancing in its $119 million, multi-year competition aimed at expanding access to clean water through sustainable seawater desalination technologies.
The semifinalists comprise 20 teams from 10 countries under Track A: Desalination – System-Level Innovation, and 17 teams from five countries under Track B: Novel Materials and Methods.
The announcement marks a major milestone for the competition, as it represents the first physical testing stage. According to XPRIZE, the teams emerged through a rigorous evaluation process that assessed the feasibility, innovation potential, and technical capability of proposed solutions to meet the contest’s demanding operational standards.
XPRIZE noted that the semifinalist cohort reflects a growing global push toward decentralized, adaptive, and resource-efficient desalination systems, with innovations expected to support scalable, energy-efficient, and cost-effective solutions for global water access.
Under Track A, the 20 teams demonstrated their ability to operate fully integrated desalination systems continuously at 1,000 litres per day (1m³/day) over a two-week testing period, with at least 30 per cent uptime, while meeting performance and reporting requirements. Teams were also evaluated based on sustainability innovations and scalability plans. Each of the 20 teams will receive $250,000, totaling $5 million in milestone awards.
For Track B, the 17 semifinalists showcased the potential to develop novel materials and methods capable of replacing or improving conventional seawater reverse osmosis (RO) membrane systems, with improved energy efficiency and long-term durability. XPRIZE will award $10,000 to each team, totaling $170,000 in milestone funding.
Launched in March 2024, XPRIZE Water Scarcity is designed to tackle the growing global water crisis by driving the development of affordable and environmentally sustainable desalination systems. The organization warns that by 2030, global water supply may meet less than half of rising demand, while traditional desalination remains expensive and environmentally harmful.
The competition challenges teams to develop technologies that can reliably unlock access to ocean water year-round. In Track A, the winning team is expected to produce one million litres of potable water per day (1,000m³/day) from seawater at a cost below current industry benchmarks, over a one-year period. In Track B, the goal is to develop a novel membrane capable of treating seawater into potable water quality with an operational lifespan of 10 years or more.
Speaking on the milestone, Lauren Greenlee, PhD, Executive Vice President of Food + Water + Waste at XPRIZE, described the semifinalist stage as evidence that bold innovation can help reshape the future of water access.
“Reaching the Semifinalist milestone in the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition is a powerful reminder that bold ideas, backed by collective effort, can move us closer to real solutions,” she said. “If we rise to it, we won’t just make desalination more affordable, we’ll help build a future where clean, safe water is not a privilege for some, but a right for all.”
XPRIZE disclosed that $108 million of the prize purse will be distributed under Track A, while $10.9 million will support Track B. An additional $100,000 will be disbursed through an Ideas Competition expected to be announced in 2027.
The next milestone, Semifinals Testing, is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026. Finalists will be announced in the first quarter of 2027, with final testing running between 2027 and 2028. Winners for Track B will be announced in Q4 2027, while Track A winners will emerge in Q4 2028.
XPRIZE Water Scarcity is part of XPRIZE’s Food + Water + Waste domain, which supports technologies and policies aimed at improving access to clean water, sanitation, and sustainable food systems globally.
For more information, visit the official XPRIZE Water Scarcity page at xprize.org/water.
