AquaHacking is a startup competition designed to support technology and business development addressing environmental problems related to freshwater. Between January and October 2020, AquaHacking Lake Winnipeg will engage students and young professionals to team up and develop innovative solutions to the specific water issues facing the Lake Winnipeg Basin. 

AquaHacking Lake Winnipeg

About the Challenge
The AquaHacking Challenge is a technological and entrepreneurial competition aimed at developing innovative solutions to freshwater issues. This Challenge allows young innovators to launch their start-up with a sustainable mandate and is a stepping-stone for future entrepreneurs in the water sector. The AquaHacking Lake Winnipeg 2020 Challenge was held from January to October and was hosted jointly by AquaAction and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). This challenge brought together innovators from Winnipeg and beyond to create groundbreaking solutions to the most critical environmental freshwater issues.
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The Water Issues
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<td style="width: 18.9972%; height: 47.6px; text-align: center;">Watershed Investment</td>
<td style="width: 20.517%; height: 47.6px; text-align: center;">Water and Land Management&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 22.6402%; height: 47.6px; text-align: center;">Drinking Water</td>
<td style="width: 16.418%; height: 47.6px; text-align: center;">Fish Health&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 21.4288%; height: 47.6px; text-align: center;">Microplastics</td>
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<td style="width: 18.9972%; height: 23.8px; text-align: center;">How can we leverage financial technologies to create investment opportunities that benefit Lake Winnipeg?</td>
<td style="width: 20.517%; height: 23.8px; text-align: center;">How can we provide agricultural producers with cost-effective solutions for water and land management?</td>
<td style="width: 22.6402%; height: 23.8px; text-align: center;">How can we support remote, northern communities with innovative solutions for testing drinking water quality locally instead of sending samples to urban centres?</td>
<td style="width: 16.418%; height: 23.8px; text-align: center;">How can we better assess fish populations and health using non-invasive techniques? &nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 21.4288%; height: 23.8px; text-align: center;">How can we prevent microplastics from ending up in Lake Winnipeg?</td>
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The Participant Experience
Starting with 100 registrants, participants from various backgrounds and a passion for water science and innovation came together to form teams and tackle the challenges presented. As an AquaHacking participant, they had the opportunity to learn how to be an effective change-maker, learn how to make a meaningful impact in the water sector, connect with professional mentors, and attend virtual workshops while building and pitching a freshwater solution to critical water issues.&nbsp;
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While working on their solutions, teams got to experience valuable mentorship from water experts and attend a series of workshops covering design thinking, machine learning, and pitch development. In June, 9 teams made it to the semi-finals and 5 were announced as finalists. Finalists were awarded $2000 in bursaries to refine their solution and got to experience a virtual retreat that focused on skills building and networking with industry leaders.
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To learn more about this challenge, visit <a href="https://aquahacking.com/en/2020-winnipeg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://aquahacking.com/en/2020-winnipeg/</a>.