Students from Shanghai, China, were awarded the prestigious Stockholm Junior Water Prize, sponsored globally by ITT Corp.

Students Hao Wang, Jie Weng and Yi Xiao from Shanghai, China were awarded the prestigious Stockholm Junior Water Prize, sponsored globally by ITT Corp., in a formal ceremony during World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. Wang, Weng and Xiao, students at Shanghai Nanyang Model High School, received the prize on behalf of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) for a research project that aims to ecologically restore urban Chinese river channels. The group of students received a $5,000 scholarship and a crystal sculpture.

The International Stockholm Junior Water Prize, awarded annually during World Water Week, encourages young people globally to take note of issues related to water and the environment. Each year, a high-school age student or group of students receives the international award after receiving the top national award in their home country. The national country winners travel to Stockholm from as far as Israel, Australia and Sri Lanka.

“The impending water crisis is one that affects all nations, developed or undeveloped. Solutions to water issues must be researched further so that every country has access to safe, clean water,” says Steve Loranger, president and chief executive officer of ITT Corp. “The International Stockholm Junior Water Prize provides a forum for our future environmental leaders to make strides in improving water quality on both local and national levels, and it encourages the world's youth to take action and research global water solutions today.”

The nominating committee, in its official motivation, awarded the prize to the Chinese group of students for their project, “Application Research and Practice of a Comprehensive Technology for Restoring Urban River Channels Ecologically.”

The jury also awarded Sri Lanka and Japan honorable mentions as runner ups in the competition. Sri Lanka's recognition comes in its first year participating for the prize, also sponsored nationally by ITT. The student groups from both Sri Lanka and Japan sought solutions to major agricultural issues in their countries. With food and agriculture consuming the most water worldwide, these projects have both national and global implications.