Stockholm, Sweden, August 2026
Category: Youth, Water Education, Innovation, International Cooperation
Target Group: Young people, students, youth researchers, water professionals and educators
Activity Type: Youth engagement, research and innovation, international exchange
Fifteen-year-old Laura Ivánka has received the Diploma of Excellence at the international final of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2026. Laura earned this prestigious recognition among national winners from more than 40 countries – a remarkable achievement for the young Hungarian researcher and an important milestone for the Hungarian competition.
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is one of the world’s leading international competitions for young people working on water-related research and innovation. National winners present their projects to an international jury in Stockholm during World Water Week.
Laura, a student at the British International School Budapest, represented Hungary with her project “DIVE & CLEAN: Early Submerged Plastic Removal Preventive Strategy for Sediment Microplastic Reduction with a Diver-Assisted Water Quality Intervention Model.”
Her research addresses a growing environmental challenge: plastic waste that sinks to the seabed can gradually break down into microplastics, which may remain in sediments for decades and threaten aquatic ecosystems and water quality.
Instead of focusing on removing microplastics after they have formed, Laura’s project focuses on prevention. Through stability analysis, field testing in Malta and international surveys, she developed and tested the DIVE & CLEAN concept – a low-cost, diver-assisted underwater collection system designed to remove submerged plastic before it fragments into microplastics.
The international jury recognised the practical approach of her work, including stakeholder involvement and the development, testing and improvement of prototypes.
More than a decade of believing in young talent
Hungary joined the Stockholm Junior Water Prize in 2013, and the national competition has been organised by the GWP Hungary Foundation ever since, with the support of dedicated professional partners, jury members and sponsors.
Laura’s success is a wonderful achievement, but it also highlights something the Hungarian competition has demonstrated year after year: every young person who has represented Hungary in Stockholm has brought exceptional talent, curiosity and commitment.
They have researched, measured, experimented, asked questions and searched for solutions to some of the most important challenges facing our waters and our environment. Each of them has given us a reason to be proud.
The Hungarian competition would not have continued for more than a decade without the dedication of its professional community. The national jury is chaired by internationally recognised water expert Professor András Szöllősi-Nagy, while the General Directorate of Water Management (OVF) and Xylem Hungary have been committed supporters of the competition for many years.
Laura’s Diploma of Excellence is a special confirmation that it is worth identifying talented young people, creating opportunities for them, listening to their ideas and believing in their potential.
The motto of the Hungarian competition says it best:
“Young people are the future of our waters.”
After thirteen years and so many outstanding young people, there could hardly be a better reason to continue supporting the next generation of water innovators.
Congratulations, Laura – and thank you to every young person who has represented Hungary since 2013 and shown us why it is worth believing in the next generation.
Photo: Jonas Borg / Stockholm Water Foundation / Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Photo: Jonas Borg / Stockholm Water Foundation / Stockholm Junior Water Prize