From 674 pre-registered teams across 86 countries, a total of 143 Qualified Teams from 29 countries have officially been selected to advance in the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition. These innovators are tackling the challenge of seawater desalination across two distinct tracks:

• Track A – System-Level Innovation (93 Qualified Teams / 28 Countries): Teams designing complete desalination systems that will reliably and most sustainably generate one million liters of potable water per day (1,000 m3/day) from seawater at the lowest cost to ensure global accessibility, over the course of 1 year by the final phase of the competition.
• Track B – Novel Materials & Methods (50 teams / 15 Countries): Teams creating a novel material and/or method for salt-water separation that can sustainably and cost-effectively treat seawater to potable water quality. This track welcomes a broad range of innovations, including advanced pressure-driven membranes and emerging materials and/or methods beyond traditional pressure-driven membranes for salt-water separation, with solutions delivering an operational lifetime of 10 years or more. Innovations must either serve as a direct replacement of or advance the performance of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) membranes, ensuring scalability, energy efficiency, and durability.

The announcement of Qualified Teams marks the competition’s first technical down-selection. Each Qualified Team submitted a detailed proposal describing their technology and approach, whether reimagining full desalination systems or developing new separation materials. Submissions were rigorously reviewed for innovation, sustainability, feasibility, and potential for global impact.

By passing this stage, teams demonstrated not just bold ideas but credible, technically rigorous plans capable of meeting the competition’s demanding standards. This transition from paper concepts to practical testing represents a pivotal step forward, where ideas must prove their ability to function in real-world conditions.

This is the official start of the race toward scalable, energy-efficient, and cost-effective desalination technologies that revolutionize seawater desalination to secure safe, affordable, and reliable water for communities worldwide.