MIT Water Innovation Prize

Overview

The MIT Water Innovation Prize's official site now redirects to mitwaterfoodagprize.org, indicating the competition has evolved into the MIT Water, Food & Agriculture Innovation Prize -- described as "the main innovation-focused event of MIT Water Club and MIT Food & Agriculture Club." It is a solutions-to-market competition supporting early-stage startups tackling water, food, and agriculture challenges, open to approaches ranging from engineering and product design to policy and data analytics. Now in its 11th annual iteration, the competition has awarded a cumulative $300K to 30 winning teams since 2015, with $50K+ in prize money awarded annually. Finalists receive mentorship from industry leaders during a multi-month mentorship period before a live final competition held at MIT.

Prizes

Key dates

• Application OpensNovember 29
• Application ClosesJanuary 14
• Finalists ChosenMid-February
• Mentorship PeriodFebruary-April
• Final Competition / EventApril 29, 2026

Eligibility

At least one leader of the startup team must be a U.S.-based student. The startup team must have received less than $100,000 in funding before applying.

How to enter

1. Apply through the official Google Form (linked from mitwaterfoodagprize.org/apply)
2. Application opens November 29
3. Application closes January 14
4. Contact wfaprize@mit.edu with questions

Sponsors & partners

Resources

• Apply (Google Form)
• Official site