Aquatech Innovation Awards
The Aquatech Innovation Awards celebrate the technologies, projects and people moving the water industry forward. Discover the ideas making a difference and the people behind them.
Ready to enter your innovation?
Whether you're exhibiting at Aquatech Amsterdam or not, you can take part. Choose the registration option that applies to you.
Exhibiting at Aquatech Amsterdam?
Put your innovation in the spotlight and enter as an exhibitor.
Not exhibiting? You can still enter.
Have an innovation to share? Enter without exhibiting at the event.
Innovation Award categories
Enter your innovation in one of four categories, each highlighting a different area of progress in the water sector.
Water Treatment
Innovations in water and wastewater treatment.
Circular Water & Resource Recovery
Solutions for water reuse, circularity and resource recovery.
Digitalization & AI
Digital technologies and AI-driven solutions for the water sector.
Innovation – Not to market yet
Innovative products and solutions that have not yet been commercially launched.
Judging criteria
Entries are evaluated against three criteria, each contributing to the final score.
Technical and economic feasibility.
Environmental impact, security and energy efficiency.
The Aquatech Innovation Award jury
Experts from research, education and the international water industry.
Prof. Dr. Ir. C.J.N. Buisman
Wetsus
Prof. Dr. Ir. W.M. de Vos
University of Twente
Dr. Paul O'Callaghan
Bluetech Research
Dr. Ir. Wilbert van de Ven EMBA
Grundfos Holding A/S
Ir. C.A. Uijterlinde
STOWA
Prof. M. Kennedy, PhD
IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
Prof. Drs. J.S. Vrouwenvelder, PhD
KAUST
Dr. Ted Mao
University of Toronto
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Supporting Water for Life
All registration fees for the Aquatech Innovation Awards are donated to Water for Life, helping provide safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene to vulnerable communities worldwide.
Supported by Dutch drinking water companies, Water for Life ensures that 100% of donations go directly to projects, creating lasting impact where it is needed most.
Learn more about Water for Life at Water for Life.
Overall winner Innovation Award 2025
A new innovation developed in the Netherlands that can sustainably remove micro-pollutants during wastewater treatment has been crowned the Overall Winner of this year’s Aquatech Innovation Award. The development by consulting engineers Royal HaskoningDHV is the result of collaboration with Wageningen University.
Known as ‘Aurea’, the solution combines the best properties of biological activated carbon filtration and oxidative treatment to remove a wide range of organic micro-pollutants. It is designed for use in wastewater treatment plants, drinking water production sites, and industrial wastewater treatment facilities, helping to meet the objectives of the European Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD).
