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XPRIZE Water Scarcity

XPRIZE Water Scarcity — Active Phase

Supports water-solvers advancing desalination systems and infrastructure for severe scarcity conditions.

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XPRIZE Water Scarcity is a $119 million prize competition launched March 1, 2024, sponsored by the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, to advance desalination technology capable of addressing global water scarcity. The competition runs through 2028 across two parallel tracks. Track A ($108 million total purse) challenges teams to generate at least one million liters of potable water per day from s

Track A ($108M): generate ≥1M litres/day of potable water from seawater at lowest cost over one year. Track B ($10.9M): novel desalination material/method treating seawater to potable quality with 10+ year operational lifetime.

CycleiHow often this grant runs — e.g. annually, on a rolling basis, or a one-off call.One-off
Next deadlineiThe next date applications are due. Rolling means you can apply any time.
Decision timeiTypical time from the deadline to the funder's decision.
Project durationiHow long the funded work is expected to run.12–54 months
Award typeiThe form of funding — grant, equity, loan, tax credit, etc.Prize
Match fundingiThe share of project costs you must cover yourself. 0% = fully funded.0%
Funding pooliThe total budget available across all awards in this round.$119M

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Last verified: 22 Jul 2026Source: www.xprize.org