STAGE ONE
THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE
Stage One of the competition was open to everyone, from top-tier universities doing cutting edge research to inventors working in their garage. 104 teams entered ideas, and offered their insights and inspirations on why they decided to embark on solving one of the most vexing challenges facing our planet.
​
​
In this stage the prize purse was $35,000 competitors were judged on
1. Performance indicators
2. Experiment description
3. Environmental outcome assessment
4. Overall presentation
​
Competitors were scored on
​
1. Phosphorus Removal
2. Environmental Sustainability
3. Overall Presentation
STAGE ONE
THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE
Stage One of the competition was open to everyone, from top-tier universities doing cutting edge research to inventors working in their garage. 104 teams entered ideas, and offered their insights and inspirations on why they decided to embark on solving one of the most vexing challenges facing our planet.
​
​
In this stage the prize purse was $35,000 competitors were judged on
1. Performance indicators
2. Experiment description
3. Environmental outcome assessment
4. Overall presentation
​
Competitors were scored on
​
1. Phosphorus Removal
2. Environmental Sustainability
3. Overall Presentation
GRAND
CHALLENGE
THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE
The final ‘Grand Challenge’ stage of the George Barley Water Prize will be the robust testing of contestants under field conditions in the Greater Everglades to validate whether these leading technologies can remove phosphorus from the Kissimmee River or a comparable water body under real conditions at significantly lower cost than currently possible.
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​
The 9 Pilot Phase teams will be narrowed down to the final four, who will move on to the final stage of the competition. Advancers will be announced in October 2018, in Toronto, during Canada’s Water Innovation Week. While Stage 3 asked teams to perform through snowmelt conditions, Stage 4 will require teams to demonstrate their ability to perform in subtropical conditions. Four teams will receive continuous flow, averaging 1 million gallons per day (gpd), with a variable spike of 4 million gallons per day, over the course of 14 months.
​
​
A Grand Challenge winner will have demonstrated endurance in a range temperatures, proving their technology is globally applicable. With the support of the State of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection and the St. John’s River Water Management District, the Grand Challenge will be hosted on the banks of Lake Jesup, in Oviedo, Florida.
In this stage the prize purse is a
$10 Million Grand Prize
$250,000 Secondary Prize
$170,000 Phoenix Prize
competitors are judged on
1. TP results from grand stage testing
2. Cost calculations
3. Background water characteristics
4. Waste disposal plan
5. Environmental outcome assessment
6. By-product recovery income plan
7. Twenty-page scalability plan
​
Competitors were scored on
​
1. Phosphorus Removal
2. Environmental Sustainability
3. Overall Presentation
GRAND
CHALLENGE
THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE
The final ‘Grand Challenge’ stage of the George Barley Water Prize will be the robust testing of contestants under field conditions in the Greater Everglades to validate whether these leading technologies can remove phosphorus from the Kissimmee River or a comparable water body under real conditions at significantly lower cost than currently possible.
​
​
The 9 Pilot Phase teams will be narrowed down to the final four, who will move on to the final stage of the competition. Advancers will be announced in October 2018, in Toronto, during Canada’s Water Innovation Week. While Stage 3 asked teams to perform through snowmelt conditions, Stage 4 will require teams to demonstrate their ability to perform in subtropical conditions. Four teams will receive continuous flow, averaging 1 million gallons per day (gpd), with a variable spike of 4 million gallons per day, over the course of 14 months.
​
​
A Grand Challenge winner will have demonstrated endurance in a range temperatures, proving their technology is globally applicable. With the support of the State of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection and the St. John’s River Water Management District, the Grand Challenge will be hosted on the banks of Lake Jesup, in Oviedo, Florida.
In this stage the prize purse is a
$10 Million Grand Prize
$250,000 Secondary Prize
$170,000 Phoenix Prize
competitors are judged on
1. TP results from grand stage testing
2. Cost calculations
3. Background water characteristics
4. Waste disposal plan
5. Environmental outcome assessment
6. By-product recovery income plan
7. Twenty-page scalability plan
​
Competitors were scored on
​
1. Phosphorus Removal
2. Environmental Sustainability
3. Overall Presentation
STAGE ONE
THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE
Stage One of the competition was open to everyone, from top-tier universities doing cutting edge research to inventors working in their garage. 104 teams entered ideas, and offered their insights and inspirations on why they decided to embark on solving one of the most vexing challenges facing our planet.
​
​
In this stage the prize purse was $35,000 competitors were judged on
1. Performance indicators
2. Experiment description
3. Environmental outcome assessment
4. Overall presentation
​
Competitors were scored on
​
1. Phosphorus Removal
2. Environmental Sustainability
3. Overall Presentation
FRESHWATER IS
THE WORLD’S MOST ENDANGERED RESOURCE
Nutrient pollution, specifically, phosphorus, remains one of the greatest threats to freshwater bodies here in Florida, and around the world. Spurring the growth of toxic blue-green algae blooms, phosphorus pollution degrades the quality of freshwater supplies, while posing a major threat to ecological habitats, local economies and human health.
For decades, Florida has experienced multiple summers ruined by detrimental algal blooms that compromise the health of our ecosystem habitats, specifically our delicate Everglades.
THE GLOBAL ISSUE
Today, more than 15,000 freshwater bodies in the United States alone are in peril because of nutrient pollution.
The Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) that result because of this pollution, have dire consequences on the communities they affect. Conservatively the estimated cost to the U.S. economy is between $2.2 billion
and $4.6 billion annually. For example, in Florida alone they impact real estate values, health care costs,
the recreational boating and fishing industry, as well as tourism revenues.
Removing even a small fraction of this pollution, using current technologies would cost more
then $3 trillion worldwide.
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Health Costs: On average, $22 million is lost annually
(figure includes medical expenses and lost work days) during HAB events.
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Fisheries Costs: The annual impact of HABs to commercial fisheries has been estimated to vary
between $13 – $25 million dollars, with an annual average impact of $18 million (2000 dollars).
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Tourism Losses: While “red tides” are caused by a different algae, one study in the Florida panhandle
estimated that nearly $6.5 million dollars in economic losses were incurred from 1995-2000 by local
restaurants and hotels. It’s no surprise that tourists don’t visit areas affected by HABs.
Real estate values in Florida’s Lee and Martin counties were found to vary due to levels of Phosphorus
pollution and resultant water quality by $428 – $541 million dollars.
These impacts are replicated around the globe, as communities from Africa to New Zealand, Japan to
Peru, throughout Asia and Europe cope with their freshwater bodies suffering from HABs.
