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South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy said Wednesday it will accept applications for the 2026 Korea Water Industry Innovation Startup Competition (Startup Water 2026) from Thursday through Oct. 19.

Now in its seventh year since launching in 2020, the competition aims to gather creative ideas from the public on tackling water-related challenges driven by climate change — including floods and droughts — as well as on the digital transformation of water management and the convergence of water and energy technologies. The event also seeks to identify promising water-sector startups at an early stage.

This year's competition is divided into two tracks: an ideas category open to the general public, and a commercialization category for early-stage companies.

Participants may submit proposals covering all areas of water management — water safety, water environment and water use — with a focus on climate crisis response, AI-based water management, and water-energy convergence technologies.

Following a two-round screening process — a document review and a presentation evaluation — nine teams selected across both categories will receive a professional boot camp designed to refine their ideas and business plans and sharpen their presentation skills.

The top four teams in each category will then advance to the final competition, scheduled for November.

Winners will receive ministerial citations from the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy along with prize money of up to 20 million won ($14,200). They will also receive support from partner institutions — including the Korea Intellectual Property Office and the Korea Startup Promotion Agency — covering patent and marketing training as well as participation in domestic and international exhibitions.

Over the past six years, the ministry said, the competition has identified 108 innovative startups, which together have recorded 147.6 billion won in revenue, attracted 64.1 billion won in investment and created 747 jobs.

Watertreenez, which won the top prize last year, went on to receive an innovation award at CES 2026 in Las Vegas in January.

"In an era defined by the climate crisis and the AI transformation, innovative water management technology is a critical factor in strengthening national competitiveness," said Kim Ho-eun, the ministry's director general for water use policy. "Through this competition, we will actively seek out creative ideas and innovative technologies to support their growth as a driving force for South Korea's water industry."


thlee@heraldcorp.com