Prepared by Catherine Chertudi

The Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) is the world's most prestigious award presented to a high school student for a water-research project. The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has coordinated the U.S. competition since its inception in 1997, and partners closely with Member Associations (MAs) to execute the program. 

The national competition will be held in June to select the national winner to attend the international competition in Sweden in late August.   

The competition is open to public, private, or independent high school students in grades 9-12, that have reached the age of 15 by Aug. 1 of the competition year and have conducted water-related science projects. The judging criteria are the same as the international competition and include ratings for relevance, methodology, subject knowledge, practical skills, creativity, and paper/presentation.   

The competition uses established science fair competitions such as the ISEF.  There is also an on-line submittal opportunity to include students in private schools, home schools, or who have conducted independent projects.  It is not necessary for a student to have had a project in a science fair to enter. Following submittal of the student’s paper to the WEF website, a committee of volunteer reviewers from PNCWA evaluates each paper in accordance with established criteria. A winner is selected for each state – Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Research papers can be submitted by a team; and up to two persons from the winning team can attend the national competition.  

The national competition will be held in Colorado again in 2023. The national judge's panel consists of 15-20 experts in a variety of disciplines/academia and is chaired by WEF Past President Dr. Jeanette Brown. To date, the U.S. has been awarded eight SJWP international titles, most recently Ms. Eshani Jha of California (2021). 

 PNCWA award winners have always been highly regarded and have received several awards in past years.  

I need your help to continue the SJWP success in the Pacific Northwest! 

Please promote the program in your community, attend local science fairs and assist with judging and promoting SJWP, and help judge student papers for the state competition. If you are interested in assisting, contact Catherine Chertudi by February 28th by email: [email protected] or call: 208-861-4601.   

(Adapted from WEF-SJWP information)