Stockholm Junior Water Prize California: How the CWEA State Competition Works

By Dr. Harman Brah, MD · Judge, California Science & Engineering Fair

In California, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize state competition is run by the California Water Environment Association (CWEA), and students enter by nominating themselves online with a water research paper. CWEA’s reviewers choose one state winner, who is invited to the U.S. national round, and in 2026 that winner came from 42 California submissions.

Bay Area schools did well that year. A team from Lynbrook High School in San Jose took first place, and a student at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley took third.

Who runs it

The U.S. competition belongs to the Water Environment Federation (WEF), which has run it since 1997 with its state Member Associations. California’s Member Association is CWEA.

So the entry form and the national rules come from WEF, and the California judging comes from CWEA.

Who can enter in California

• Students in grades 9 to 12 at a public, private or independent high school, or a home school
• Students who will be 15 by August 1 of the competition year
• One student alone, or a team of two

Projects should aim to improve water quality, how water resources are managed, or how water and wastewater are treated. The problem can be local, regional, national or global, but the work has to follow accepted scientific methods and include statistical analysis.

You nominate yourself

This is the part families miss. WEF says: “It is not necessary for a student to have had a project in a science fair to enter.”

There is no fair to qualify through and no teacher nomination. The student fills in the online entry form for California and uploads the paper.

Some local science fairs hand out regional awards. A regional winner still has to submit the paper online to be considered for state.

How the state round works

At the state level, WEF sets no specific paper format. The one firm rule is size: the file can be no larger than 2MB. On a team, one member submits for both students.

A panel of water professionals reads the papers and picks the best project in the state. In some states, judges also interview students at science fairs. In 2026, CWEA’s Engineering and Research Committee reviewed California’s 42 entries and named a second and third place alongside the winner.

Only one project goes forward. Every state chooses a single winning entry.

What California’s 2026 results looked like

• 1st place: a two-student team from Lynbrook High School (San Jose), with fertilizer pellets designed to cut the nutrient runoff behind harmful algal blooms
• 2nd place: a team from Clovis North High School
• 3rd place: a student at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley (San Jose), with a sensor project for flood hotspots

Both Bay Area projects aimed at a practical fix for a real water problem. That matches how the national judges score, where relevance to an important water challenge carries the most weight.

The timeline

In the 2026 cycle, state entries were due April 15, 2026. State winners are announced online in the first week of May and receive a U.S. SJWP medal and an invitation to nationals.

All 2026 state winners then did a virtual judging round in the first two weeks of May. The top 20 finalists competed in person in Chicago, June 8 to 10, 2026.

The 2027 dates were not posted as of late October 2026. Check wef.org before planning around them.

Write it for nationals from the start

California’s state round has no format rules, but the national round does. A paper that already meets WEF’s National Paper Guidelines saves a rewrite in a short window if the student wins.

Those guidelines include:

• No more than 20 pages, counting figures, tables and annexes (the title page is not counted)
• An abstract of at most 180 words, written last
• Acknowledgements that say clearly how much outside help the student had
• Numbered conclusions, each one to three short sentences

Judges read the Discussion most closely. It should explain why the results matter to the water problem, how new they are, how they compare with other work, and whether a local agency or community could use them.

The guidelines also ask students to address cause and effect. A survey that only describes a polluted lake is weak; one that finds the causes and shows how monitoring could improve management is much stronger.

At nationals, judges weigh the paper along with how well the student shows ownership and knowledge of the project in a video presentation.

The student does the work

National judges ask what help came from parents, teachers and professionals, and whether the student took the measurements. The guidelines ask students to show plainly that they did the research and the writing, and plagiarism can mean disqualification.

A mentor can help a student narrow the question, check the statistics and push the Discussion further. The student runs the project, writes every page, and states in the acknowledgements how much help they received.

We guide students through research papers like this one. See our research mentorship, or read how to qualify for ISEF in the Bay Area if your student is also on the county fair path.

FAQ

How many students enter the Stockholm Junior Water Prize in California?

California received 42 submissions in 2026, according to CWEA. One project was chosen as the state winner, with a second and third place named as well.

Does my child need a science fair win to enter the California competition?

No. A science fair project is not required. Any eligible student can self-nominate by filling in the online entry form and uploading their paper.

Can my child enter with a friend?

Yes. Teams of up to two students may enter. One team member submits the entry for both of them.

What does the California state winner get?

Each state winner receives a U.S. SJWP medal and an invitation to the national competition. In 2026, all state winners did a virtual judging round in May, and the top 20 competed in person in Chicago in June.

When is the 2027 California deadline?

It has not been posted yet. In the 2026 cycle, state entries were due April 15, 2026, so check wef.org for the 2027 date.