AquaHacking: the winners of Winnipeg and Atlantic Canada’s Challenges revealed

At the end of the annual AquaHacking Challenge, the participants, organizers, mentors, and everyone involved in this initiative can finally say mission accomplished! The Covid-19 pandemic affected the initial planning of the pivotal events of the 3 competitions; the semi-finals and finals had to be carried out virtually in order to respect preventive hygiene and social distancing measures. The de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation is proud of the resilience and flexibility displayed by participants and organizers alike. 

“An important year is coming to an end, and in spite of the pandemic all of the 2020 AquaHacking Challenges were able to be carried out virtually. I want to congratulate the AquaForum team as well as our partners for making the challenges possible even during this crisis.” – Dominique Monchamp, Senior Advisor, Fondation de Gaspe Beaubien.

Two Finals Disputed Virtually 

The two last finals of the AquaHacking Challenges took place last September and October. The five teams from Lake Winnipeg and Atlantic Canada, made up of students and young professionals, presented their innovative technological solutions to a panel of five judges with expertise in business, technology, and water science. 

Over the past year, the finalists developed technological solutions to help tackle critical freshwater issues, namely microplastics, the management of water and land in agriculture, clean drinking water in remote locations, and investments into watersheds. 

“In spite of the pandemic, I have been impressed to see that 15 new solutions relative to issues with water in Canada have been developed. It is thanks to the dedication, determination, and expertise of each of its participants that the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation realizes the impact of its support in the development of solutions through its mentoring. Congratulations to all of the finalists!” – NAN-B, President, Fondation de Gaspe Beaubien. 

The Winners of the Atlantic AquaHacking Challenge

On September 18th, the finalists’ rankings for the Atlantic Canada AquaHacking Challenge were announced following the virtual final which was broadcasted on the IISD’s Facebook page. 

The 5 finalists are:

• 1st Place: Clean Catch Baits wins the grand prize of 20 000$ in seed funding with their innovative solution to tackle issues relating to microplastics in fishing. 
• 2nd Place: Well Warriors wins 15 000$ with their online platform created to make the evaluation of the quality of well water more accessible and less expensive. 
• 3rd Place: WIDE wins 10 000$ in funding for their innovative water treatment system which aims to provide clean drinking water to rural and indigenous communities in a sustainable and accessible way while respecting their culture. 
• 4th Place: ExTech MIP wins 2 500$ for the development of a new technology to simplify the sampling of organic contaminants in well water using a low-cost device. 
• 5th Place: What the Well also wins 2 500$ for their solution relating to the issue of private well security. 

The Winners of the Lake Winnipeg AquaHacking Challenge

On October 20th the virtual final of the Lake Winnipeg AquaHacking Challenge was live broadcasted on the IISD’s Facebook page. 

We would like to congratulate the 5 finalists:

• 1st Place: Particuleye Technologies wins the grand prize of 20 000$ in seed funding with their innovative project which contributes to the classification and quantification of microplastics.
• 2nd Place: LasIr Nutrient Technology wins 15 000$ with their solution which provides more precision to fertilization techniques.
• 3rd Place: Typha wins 10 000$ for the development of Eco responsible packaging made from cattails in order to contribute to the fight against single-use plastic and eutrophication. 
• 4th Place: Water Secure wins 2 500$ for their innovative water testing solution. 
• 5th Place: Abbatek also wins 2 500$ for the development of an algorithm which helps to fight against microplastic pollution. 

With the year 2021 fast approaching, the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation will continue to support AquaForum in their phenomenal involvement in the preparation of the next competition destinations which will be announced very soon. The circumstances are continuously changing, and we will continue to adapt our initiative’s activities to the uncertainty created by Covid-19. 

Watch the Lake Winnipeg and Atlantic Canada finals again now!