AquaHacking Lake Winnipeg 2020 Challenge Final Report

The AquaHacking Lake Winnipeg 2020 Challenge, hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Aqua Forum, engaged 472 youth and 19 teams to address critical water issues. Five finalist teams were awarded seed funding and incubation spots at North Forge Technology Exchange for solutions targeting microplastics, agricultural runoff, eutrophication, and drinking water quality in remote communities.

• The 2020 challenge focused on five specific water issues: microplastics, water and land management for agricultural producers, drinking water access for remote northern centres, fish health assessment, and watershed investment systems.
• Recruitment efforts between January and May involved nine on-campus information sessions, resulting in 472 youth engaged in water-related activities, 109 individual registrations, and 19 registered teams.
• The first-place winner, Particuleye Technologies, developed a smart camera using machine learning and image processing to quantify and classify microplastic particles in running water in real-time, receiving $20,000 in seed funding.
• The second-place winner, LasIR Nutrient Technology, created a portable infrared spectroscopy device to analyze plant-available phosphate concentrations in soil to reduce agricultural phosphorus runoff, receiving $15,000 in seed funding.
• Typha Co. took third place with a proposal to create ecopackaging from fibres extracted from cattail plants, which are identified as significant contributors to the eutrophication of Lake Winnipeg, receiving $10,000 in seed funding.
• Water Secure (4th place) and AbbaTek Group (5th place) each received $2,500 in seed funding for solutions involving localized water quality testing hubs for remote communities and a SaaS package for microplastics research, respectively.
• All five finalist teams were offered incubation spots at the North Forge Technology Exchange to receive further mentorship and support.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2020). AquaHacking Lake Winnipeg 2020 Challenge Final Report. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-01/aquahacking-lake-winnipeg-2020.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. AquaHacking Lake Winnipeg 2020 Challenge Final Report. 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-01/aquahacking-lake-winnipeg-2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=AquaHacking Lake Winnipeg 2020 Challenge Final Report |date=2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-01/aquahacking-lake-winnipeg-2020.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2020aquahacking, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{AquaHacking Lake Winnipeg 2020 Challenge Final Report}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-01/aquahacking-lake-winnipeg-2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }