Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize

About

The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize honours outstanding contributions by individuals or organisations towards solving the world’s water challenges by developing or applying innovative technologies, policies or programmes which benefit humanity.

This prestigious international award is named after Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, whose foresight and leadership has enabled Singapore to attain a sustainable water supply.

Since its inception in 2008, the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize (LKYWP) has gained a standing in the global water arena as the premier Water Prize amongst its peers, by focusing on innovative water technologies, policies or programmes that have been game-changers in their real-world application. The honour roll for the Water Prize includes laureates with ground-breaking solutions in membrane technology, used water treatment, as well as holistic water policies and management that have benefitted the lives of millions. Their achievements represent the pinnacle in sustainable water solutions that have made a difference to cities and people around the world.

Presented in partnership with:

Temasek Foundation supports a diverse range of programmes that uplift lives and communities in Singapore and beyond. Temasek Foundation’s programmes are made possible through philanthropic endowments gifted by Temasek, as well as gifts and other contributions from other donors. These programmes strive towards achieving positive outcomes for individuals and communities now, and for generations to come. Collectively, Temasek Foundation’s programmes strengthen social resilience, foster international exchange and regional capabilities, advance science, and protect the planet. For more information, visit Temasek Foundation.

Nomination Guidelines

Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2026

Nomination Guidelines

1. The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize honours outstanding contributions by individuals or organisations towards solving the world's water problems by developing or applying innovative technologies, policies or programmes which benefit humanity.

Nomination Process

2. A valid nominee for the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize should have made outstanding achievements in any water-related field. The work should have demonstrated the innovativeness of technologies, policies or programmes. The work should have proven impact or demonstrated great potential to be a game-changer in the future.

3. The submission of nominations for Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2026 follows a rigorous two-stage process. The first stage is for the nominator to submit a citation of the nominee. Self-nominations and nominations by family members of nominees will not be accepted. Self-nomination includes nomination made by an individual from the same organisation as the nominee. In the second stage, nominators of shortlisted nominees will be informed to submit a full nomination, including a detailed write-up of the cited technological innovation and/or the implemented water policy and programme, recommendation letters and additional supporting documents.

Selection Process

4. All nominations will be examined by the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Nominating Committee. The Committee will make their recommendations to the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Council, which will make the final selection of the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Laureate. Both panels consist of prominent thought leaders, distinguished academics and water experts from the public and private sectors. All received nominations will be evaluated on the following criteria:

a. Role of nominee

The nominator should describe the role of the nominee in the development and implementation of the specific technologies, policies or programmes that underpin the nomination. In particular, the leadership of the nominee as well as the nominee's instrumental contributions should be highlighted.

b. Innovativeness and merits of the technologies, policies or programmes

The innovativeness and benefits of the referenced technologies, policies and programmes should be described in detail. Nominators are encouraged to include comparisons with the state-of-the-art technologies or existing policies and programmes and depict how the nominee's work has been proven to be a game changer or shown great potential to do so.

c. Impact on humanity

The current level of readiness and scale of implementation of the referenced technologies, policies and programmes should be described. Nominators should quantify the impact of nominee's work in benefitting humanity or project any long-term benefits in cases where the level of readiness and scale of the implementation is currently low.

Call for Nominations

5. Leaders of international water companies and water utilities, top academics in water research, policy and/or management, heads of international organisations, members of government, or distinguished individuals in the field of water are welcome to submit nominations of suitable candidates for the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2026. This can be done online by uploading a citation of the nominee's achievements at https://go.gov.sg/lkywp2026nomination. Nominations for the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2026 are open from Wednesday, 16 April 2025, 8am (GMT+8) to Friday, 15 August 2025, 6pm (GMT+8).

Find out more in the LKYWP 2026 brochure: https://www.siww.com.sg/qql/slot/u143/SIWW2025/Resources/Brochures/LKYWP%20Brochure.pdf

For enquiries or more information on the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, please contact: leekuanyewwaterprize@siww.com.sg

Laureates

Click here for the list of Laureates

Nominating Committee

All nominations will be examined by the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Nominating Committee. The Committee will make their recommendations to the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Council, which will make the final selection of the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Laureate.

Chairman

Prof Low Teck Seng
Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Resilience
National University of Singapore
Singapore

Members

Lucia Cade
Board Director

Prof John Anthony Cherry
Distinguished Emeritus Professor
University of Waterloo
Canada

Prof Jean J. M. Fréchet
Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, Chemical & Biological Engineering
University of California Berkeley
United States of America