Awards Record

Water science, management and policy

Stockholm Water Prize: winners and how it is awarded

The Stockholm Water Prize is an international water award presented each year since 1991. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is its patron and presenter. The 2026 laureate was announced at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on World Water Day.3,1

Awarded byStockholm Water Foundation, in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Established1991
FrequencyAnnual

Winners

  1. 2026Kaveh Madani (Iran)2,1Pioneer of water governance
  2. 2025Günter Blöschl (Austria)2Pioneer of water engineering
  3. 2024Taikan Oki (Japan)2Researcher in hydrology
  4. 2023Andrea Rinaldo (Italy)2Research on river networks
  5. 2022Wilfried Brutsaert (Belgium)2Work that helped improve climate modelling
  6. 2021Sandra Postel (United States)2Work that has changed how many people view water
  7. 2020John Cherry (Canada)2Work on groundwater vulnerability
  8. 2019Jackie King (South Africa)2Contributions to global river management

Notable facts

The 2026 release said Kaveh Madani, aged 44, was the youngest laureate in the prize's 35 year history.1

Sources

  1. City College of New York (via EurekAlert), Kaveh Madani named 2026 Stockholm Water Prize laureate (18 March 2026)
  2. Stockholm Water Foundation, Stockholm Water Prize laureates (28 October 2026)
  3. Stockholm Water Foundation, Stockholm Water Prize (28 October 2026)