SINGAPORE – National water agency PUB is on the lookout for people who have done significant work in helping solve the world’s water problems – to eventually find one worthy of the next Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize.

Nominations for the 2026 prize, which are open to individuals and organisations around the world, began on April 16, and will close on July 11.

Given out every two years, the prize honours individuals or organisations that looked into the world’s water challenges by developing or applying innovative technologies, policies or programmes that have made a difference to cities and communities around the world.

The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize is named after Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, whose vision and leadership enabled Singapore to overcome its challenges as a water-scarce city-state to secure a resilient and sustainable water supply.

Since 2008, 10 laureates have received the award, from a Dutch academic who pioneered wastewater surveillance to curb the spread of Covid-19, to a Californian water agency that ran a successful water reuse programme.

That academic who was the 2024 recipient of the award was microbiologist Gertjan Medema, who began collecting wastewater samples across the Netherlands in early 2020 to test for the Sars-CoV-2 virus. His team was able to detect evidence of the virus in the wastewater of several cities even before official reports confirmed its presence.

Nominations for the prize involve two stages and should be submitted through https://go.gov.sg/lkywp2026nomination.

In the first stage, the nominator submits a citation of the nominee. Self-nominations and entries by family members or colleagues from the same organisation will not be accepted.

In the second stage, the nominator submits a full nomination, including a write-up of the shortlisted hopeful’s technological innovation or water programme, recommendation letters and other supporting documents.

The water prize nominating committee will thoroughly evaluate all shortlisted nominations and make their recommend...