DW
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office, with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Waves to Water Prize

Paid teams a $3.3 million pool to build wave-powered desalination units for disaster relief.

Beyond the $500,000 grand prize, the DOE announced four additional $125,000 pots at the DRINK Stage. Two went to single teams outright, Team WATER BROS for the lightest device and Team Oneka for producing the most water, while the other two were split by scored performance across all four finalists: for simplest assembly, Oneka received $80,000, Mark Zero Prototypes $20,000, WATER BROS $17,000 andโ€ฆ

Sought small, modular, wave-powered desalination systems that produce potable drinking water in disaster relief scenarios and remote coastal locations. Devices had to survive varied wave conditions, deploy in under 48 hours, fit a standard shipping container, and avoid environmental harm from brine discharge.

CycleiHow often this grant runs - e.g. annually, on a rolling basis, or a one-off call.No fixed schedule
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.-
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.-
Funding pooliThe total budget available across all awards in this round.$3.3M

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