

STAGE ONE
THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE
Stage One of the competition was open to everyone, from top-tier universities doing cutting edge research to inventors working in their garage. 104 teams entered ideas, and offered their insights and inspirations on why they decided to embark on solving one of the most vexing challenges facing our planet.
In this stage the prize purse was $35,000 competitors were judged on
1. Performance indicators
2. Experiment description
3. Environmental outcome assessment
4. Overall presentation
Competitors were scored on
1. Phosphorus Removal
2. Environmental Sustainability
3. Overall Presentation

STAGE ONE
THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE
Stage One of the competition was open to everyone, from top-tier universities doing cutting edge research to inventors working in their garage. 104 teams entered ideas, and offered their insights and inspirations on why they decided to embark on solving one of the most vexing challenges facing our planet.
In this stage the prize purse was $35,000 competitors were judged on
1. Performance indicators
2. Experiment description
3. Environmental outcome assessment
4. Overall presentation
Competitors were scored on
1. Phosphorus Removal
2. Environmental Sustainability
3. Overall Presentation



GRAND
CHALLENGE
THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE
The final ‘Grand Challenge’ stage of the George Barley Water Prize will be the robust testing of contestants under field conditions in the Greater Everglades to validate whether these leading technologies can remove phosphorus from the Kissimmee River or a comparable water body under real conditions at significantly lower cost than currently possible.
The 9 Pilot Phase teams will be narrowed down to the final four, who will move on to the final stage of the competition. Advancers will be announced in October 2018, in Toronto, during Canada’s Water Innovation Week. While Stage 3 asked teams to perform through snowmelt conditions, Stage 4 will require teams to demonstrate their ability to perform in subtropical conditions. Four teams will receive continuous flow, averaging 1 million gallons per day (gpd), with a variable spike of 4 million gallons per day, over the course of 14 months.
A Grand Challenge winner will have demonstrated endurance in a range temperatures, proving their technology is globally applicable. With the support of the State of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection and the St. John’s River Water Management District, the Grand Challenge will be hosted on the banks of Lake Jesup, in Oviedo, Florida.
In this stage the prize purse is a
$10 Million Grand Prize
$250,000 Secondary Prize
$170,000 Phoenix Prize
competitors are judged on
1. TP results from grand stage testing
2. Cost calculations
3. Background water characteristics
4. Waste disposal plan
5. Environmental outcome assessment
6. By-product recovery income plan
7. Twenty-page scalability plan
Competitors were scored on
1. Phosphorus Removal
2. Environmental Sustainability
3. Overall Presentation

GRAND
CHALLENGE
THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE
The final ‘Grand Challenge’ stage of the George Barley Water Prize will be the robust testing of contestants under field conditions in the Greater Everglades to validate whether these leading technologies can remove phosphorus from the Kissimmee River or a comparable water body under real conditions at significantly lower cost than currently possible.
The 9 Pilot Phase teams will be narrowed down to the final four, who will move on to the final stage of the competition. Advancers will be announced in October 2018, in Toronto, during Canada’s Water Innovation Week. While Stage 3 asked teams to perform through snowmelt conditions, Stage 4 will require teams to demonstrate their ability to perform in subtropical conditions. Four teams will receive continuous flow, averaging 1 million gallons per day (gpd), with a variable spike of 4 million gallons per day, over the course of 14 months.
A Grand Challenge winner will have demonstrated endurance in a range temperatures, proving their technology is globally applicable. With the support of the State of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection and the St. John’s River Water Management District, the Grand Challenge will be hosted on the banks of Lake Jesup, in Oviedo, Florida.
In this stage the prize purse is a
$10 Million Grand Prize
$250,000 Secondary Prize
$170,000 Phoenix Prize
competitors are judged on
1. TP results from grand stage testing
2. Cost calculations
3. Background water characteristics
4. Waste disposal plan
5. Environmental outcome assessment
6. By-product recovery income plan
7. Twenty-page scalability plan
Competitors were scored on
1. Phosphorus Removal
2. Environmental Sustainability
3. Overall Presentation



STAGE ONE
THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE
Stage One of the competition was open to everyone, from top-tier universities doing cutting edge research to inventors working in their garage. 104 teams entered ideas, and offered their insights and inspirations on why they decided to embark on solving one of the most vexing challenges facing our planet.
In this stage the prize purse was $35,000 competitors were judged on
1. Performance indicators
2. Experiment description
3. Environmental outcome assessment
4. Overall presentation
Competitors were scored on
1. Phosphorus Removal
2. Environmental Sustainability
3. Overall Presentation


LEARN MORE ABOUT
EVERGLADES
WATER QUALITY
Hey Naples, did you know your tourism, recreation, and real estate economies all depend on clean water?
Because of the interconnectedness of our waterways, restoring the southerly flow of freshwater in the Everglades will benefit Naples' water quality and community in many ways.


1) EVERGLADES RESTORATION WILL HELP MITIGATE RED TIDE
Due to excess nutrient pollution, the waters off Naples are prone to red tide, which can cause respiratory irritation in humans and be devastating to wildlife.
Instead of flushing billions of gallons of nutrient-laden water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River, Everglades restoration projects will store, clean, and send water south, so it can nourish the Everglades and Florida Bay.
2) LESS HARMFUL DISCHARGES MEAN A STRONGER SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ECONOMY
Everglades restoration will reduce harmful discharges into the pristine beaches and waterways we all love for boating, kayaking, and some of the greatest fishing on Earth.
Collier County has experienced how red tide and fish kills can affect every aspect of our economy, including real estate, hospitality, and retail. When our waterways are unhealthy, recreational fishing and boating – which bring millions of dollars into our economy – is greatly impacted.
3) EVERGLADES RESTORATION HELPS PLANTS AND ANIMALS
The Everglades is home to over 2,000 species of flora and fauna. Everglades restoration is the only measure that will increase the southerly freshwater flow needed to stabilize the ecosystem’s critical habitats that support world-renowned biodiversity.
Thousands of tourists and locals visit the Ten Thousand Islands, Big Cypress National Preserve, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Rookery Bay, and countless other parts of the Everglades ecosystem in Southwest Florida whose biodiversity depends on a healthy Everglades.

The Everglades Foundation is moving Everglades restoration forward
and protecting our vitally important waterways as well as: