Steve Davis, Ph.D.

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

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

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

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

THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION

GIVE A GIFT

Steve Davis, Ph.D.

Vice President of Communications & Engagement, Senior Wetland Ecologist

Dr. Steve Davis is The Everglades Foundation’s Vice President of Communications & Engagement as well as Senior Ecologist. A native of Ohio, he earned a PhD from Florida International University in 1999 with research in Florida Bay and the coastal Everglades. Davis joined The Everglades Foundation in 2009 as a member of the Science Department, and he became a key voice in support of the organization’s mission to restore America’s Everglades. He draws upon his 25 years of Everglades science and teaching experience, including 10 years as professor of wetland ecology at Texas A&M University, to lead science, communication and outreach efforts focused on Everglades restoration, ecosystem health, and impacts of sea-level rise. For a list of science publications by Dr. Davis, visit his Google Scholar page here.

STAGE ONE

THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE

STAGE ONE

THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE

GRAND

CHALLENGE

THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE

GRAND

CHALLENGE

THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE

STAGE ONE

THE GEORGE BARLEY WATER PRIZE

Steve Davis, Ph.D.

Vice President of Communications & Engagement, Senior Wetland Ecologist

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