The Aqua Scientia Award: water, science and young people coming together for the future.
The UNESCO International Centre ICIREWARD and the Fondation de l'Eau Groupama Méditerranée have joined forces to launch the Aqua Scientia Award.
Awarded every two years, this prize honours a female and a male researcher whose scientific work advances knowledge in the field of freshwater, and comes with a prize fund of €10,000.
Freshwater resources such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and groundwater are vital but increasingly fragile. It provides most of our drinking water, regulates ecosystems, and supports unique biodiversity. Essential to all human activities, water can also be formidable when present in excess, causing devastating floods, or in short supply, leading to droughts. In the context of climate change and mounting pressure on resources, improving our understanding of water and managing it more effectively are key priorities.
To this end, the UNESCO ICIREWARD International Centre, a leading French research and training institution, and the Fondation de l'Eau Groupama Méditerranée, a corporate foundation dedicated to the Mediterranean region, have established the Aqua Scientia Award.
Beyond the award itself, the Aqua Scientia Award recognises the dedication of young scientists to ecological transition and knowledge sharing.
'Scientific excellence only makes sense if it is shared.' Aqua Scientia promotes research that advances knowledge and addresses local and global water-related issues.
— Éric Servat, Director of the UNESCO International Centre on Water (ICIREWARD)
“This award illustrates the strength of the collective. By combining our expertise, we amplify the impact of water initiatives. Rewarding young talent is an investment in a sustainable future.”
- Thierry Bonnery, President of the Groupama Méditerranée Water Foundation
This prize recognises research into continental freshwater resources, including their quantity, quality, uses, management and sharing, with applications in at least one of the 14 Mediterranean departments covered by the Water Foundation.
The two founding members particularly encourage multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity in order to promote research with high societal and environmental value, drawing on skills beyond hydrology. To remain grounded in everyday reality and address the challenges of tomorrow, the award will favour finalised, applied work over fundamental research.
The Aqua Scientia Award is open to individuals who hold a doctoral degree, as defined in Article L. 612-7 of the French Education Code. Any person, regardless of nationality, who has submitted and defended a doctoral thesis at an accredited French institution (university or grande école) and has been awarded a doctorate during the period covered by the prize is eligible to apply.
For the 2026 edition, the thesis must have been defended between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2025.
A list of the documents required for the application will be available soon.
Applicants must have read and accepted the rules and regulations in full to be eligible for the Aqua Scientia Award.
The tentative schedule for the award is as follows:
| 23 October 2025 | Launch of the award and opening of applications |
| 22 February 2026 | Deadline for submitting applications |
| 23 February – 3 April 2026 | Verification of compliance and pre-selection of applications. |
| 3–6 April 2026 | Review of shortlisted applications by jury members |
| 6–17 April 2026 | Plenary jury meeting: selection of winners and announcement of two prize winners |
| 6 July 2026 | Winners announced and awards ceremony held. |
A jury of academic staff and other qualified individuals will select the two winners from the pool of applicants.
The list of criteria and the jury's composition will be posted on this page shortly.
