The award-giving ceremony of the Bangladesh Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) 2026 was held on 5 May at Conventina Lake Suites in Gulshan, Dhaka, in a festive and celebratory atmosphere.

The event, which began at 3:00pm, brought together contestants from across the country, guests and relevant stakeholders.

Swedish Ambassador H E Nicolas Weeks attended the ceremony as chief guest, while Country Director of WaterAid Bangladesh Hasin Jahan was present as special guest. The programme was hosted by Safwat Ishrak and Mahadia Mutmainna Binte Ahmed.

The 12th season of SJWP Bangladesh began on 1 November 2025, with participants aged between 15 and 20 years. A total of 53 research papers were submitted, of which six teams were selected for the national competition following a neutral evaluation process.

The national round was held on 24 April 2026 at the Institute of Appropriate Technology (IAT), BUET.

The competition was evaluated by a panel of jury members comprising experts from academia, development organisations and international institutions. The jury board included First Secretary Environment and Climate Change and Deputy Head of Development Cooperation Section at the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka Nayöka Martinez Bäckström; Professor Dr Tanvir Ahmed from the Department of Civil Engineering, BUET; Professor Dr Mohidus Samad Khan, Department of Chemical Engineering, BUET and Director of IAT-BUET; WES Officer at UNICEF Bangladesh Mohammad Monirul Alam; Chief Operating Officer of CWIS-FSM Support Cell, DPHE Abdullah Al Muyeed; Professor Dr Sara Nowreen from the Institute of Water and Flood Management, BUET; and Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at North South University Dr Asef Mohammad Redwan.

The six finalist teams were Team Inonova, Team Rizz-O-Sphere, Team Epsilon, Team The Salting Out, Team FAUJIAN and Team Captain Obvious, representing leading educational institutions across Bangladesh.

Following evaluation, Fahad Mahmud of Dhaka Residential Model College and Asif Al Momen Chowdhury of Dhaka College, representing Team Rizz-O-Sphere, were declared the winners of SJWPBD 2026 and will represent Bangladesh in Sweden.

Their project proposed a nature-based, zero-waste circular system that transforms soil into a self-regulating water-retention structure by stimulating soil microbes to form protective biofilms, aiming to support vulnerable farming communities.

In his remarks, the chief guest commended the participants, saying, “To all the competitors, your ideas matter, your efforts matter. Keep asking questions, keep innovating, keep pushing for change.”

Jury members praised the research-driven and innovative efforts of the participants and expressed hope that the winning team will perform strongly on the international stage.

The event was organised by House of Volunteers Foundation, Bangladesh, nominated by the International Water Institute. WaterAid Bangladesh served as associate organiser, while ITN-BUET, EsTEX and The Business Standard acted as strategic, technical and media partners respectively.