Student Innovation Prizes

Supporting the next generation of water and food systems industry leaders through startup competitions that fuel students' water and food sector commercialization efforts at MIT and beyond

Water, Food, and Agriculture Innovation Prize

Water, Food & Agriculture Innovation Prize

The MIT Water, Food & Agricultural (W.F.A.) Innovation Prize is organized by the MIT Water Club and the MIT Food & Agriculture Club. The prize awards up to $45K to winning teams of university and graduate students from any college or university worldwide.

The goal of the competition is to help emerging entrepreneurs translate research and ideas into businesses, access mentors and resources, and build networks in the water, food and agriculture industries. The teams must have a technology, product, service, or process that is aimed at solving a problem related to water, food, or agriculture challenges. The competition encourages all approaches to innovation, from engineering and product design to policy and data analytics. 

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Past Prizes

MIT Water Innovation Prize
 

The MIT Water Innovation Prize is a startup competition focused on water innovation that awards up to $50K in innovation grants annually to student-led teams from across the country and internationally. The prize started in 2015 and has since awarded $225K across 21 winning teams.​

This competition is the main innovation-focused event of MIT Water Club.  The goal of the prize is to help emerging entrepreneurs translate research and ideas into businesses, access mentors and resources, and build networks in the water industry. All approaches to water innovation are welcome, from engineering and product design to policy and data analytics.

 

Rabobank-MIT Food and Agribusiness Innovation Prize
 

The Rabobank-MIT Food & Agribusiness Innovation Prize, sponsored by Rabobank, supported by J-WAFS, and organized by the MIT Food and Agriculture Club, is a premier business-plan competition for university and graduate students. This prize is distinct from other competitions because of its specific focus on food and agribusiness and the access it will provide successful entrants to the broad business community. The prize competition started in 2016. 

The competition takes place in two stages: an application round where students submit startup ideas and a pitch competition for a select group of finalist teams. To prepare for the final pitch night, finalists are paired with industry mentors who help teams refine their ideas. Mentors are leading experts in industry and academia, with experience relevant to finalist submissions. Finalist teams compete to win $30,000 in total prize money.