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September 20, 2022

Competition to Solve Water Issues Begins in Atlantic Canada

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A Water Tech Challenge to Solve Freshwater Issues Begins in Atlantic Canada

For immediate release
[September 20th 2022]

A technology innovation challenge to solve Atlantic Canadian water issues begins today, September 20th. The competition is organized by AquaAction in partnership with Saint Mary’s University.

“We are excited to bring the AquaHacking Challenge back to Atlantic Canada,” says Kariann Aarup, General Manager for AquaAction. “AquaAction’s mission is to restore freshwater health in North America. We do this by engaging with local communities, empowering talented young innovators and supporting them as they work to improve freshwater health in their region. The first Atlantic Canada AquaHacking Challenge was a great success, and we look forward to this year’s program.”

Atlantic Canada is home to a spectacular system of dynamic freshwater and marine environments. Water is core to ecosystems and communities across the region. The Atlantic Canada AquaHacking Challenge brings students, developers, designers, scientists, programmers, engineers, technology enthusiasts and entrepreneurs together to form interdisciplinary teams to tackle different freshwater challenges facing these important ecosystems. The water issues they will be focusing on are:

“AquaHacking is the type of interdisciplinary competition that allows students and young people to apply their knowledge to practical, real-world situations,” says Michael Sanderson, Director of the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre (SMUEC). “We are proud to partner with AquaAction to bring this great competition back to Atlantic Canada.”

Participants should have an interest in problem-solving, collaborating with peers from various faculties and disciplines, and applying innovative solutions to bring impactful change to communities from across the Atlantic Region. Participants must be 18-35 years of age, a resident of Canada and enrolled in a post-secondary institution or be a recent graduate.

“We are excited to work with students in the region and challenge the freshwater issues facing Atlantic Canada,” says Adam Khamis, the Project Coordinator of Skills, Development and Training with SMUEC. “This competition is a dynamic blend of entrepreneurship, social action and science that offers students a unique opportunity to work with people in areas they may not otherwise have discovered.”

After working on their solutions for five months, all teams will have the opportunity to pitch their innovation during the AquaHacking semi-final event. The top 5 teams are selected to go on to Phase 2 of the program. These 5 finalists each receive $2,000 to support the continuation of their work as they refine their solutions in preparation for the AquaHacking Challenge finale. Winning teams receiving kick-start business training, leadership training, a spot in a local incubator, Lavery Lawyers credits and seed funding based on their final ranking (up to $20K).

For more information about the challenge, how to participate and the great partners that support the competition, visit https://aquaaction.org/challenge/atlantic-canada-2022-23/.

About AquaAction: AquaAction is a charity organization dedicated to restoring the health of freshwater by engaging young innovators in solutions creation and supporting the activation of their technologies. Its flagship program is the AquaHacking Challenge, a tech innovation competition which aims to engage university students in developing new solutions to water issues. Recently AquaAction developed the AquaHacking Alumni and AquaEntrepreneur Québec. Across Canada, over 30 water technology startups have emerged from the Challenge. AquaAction was established by the De Gaspé Beaubien Foundation in 2015, is powered by the RBC Foundation since 2018, accelerated by Ovivo since 2017 and supported by several partners including IBM Canada, Lavery Lawyers, and Mitacs.

About Saint Mary’s University:

One of Canada’s top primarily undergraduate universities  – known for international collaborations, entrepreneurship, and research. We offer programs in Arts, Science, Business and Graduates studies to 7,000 students from over 118 countries. Nestled in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Canada’s east coast, Saint Mary’s University is marked by iconic buildings, green spaces and fresh ocean air.Our campus is based in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq. The Saint Mary’s University community is committed to a prosperous future for the world—a world without limits.

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Media Contacts:

Laurence Basso, Communications Coordinator, AquaAction, Phone: 1-514-664-4399, Email: laurence@aquaaction.org

Cale Loney, Communications Manager, Saint Mary’s University, Phone: 902-420-5051, Email: Cale.Loney@SMU.ca