Ahead of World Water Week in Stockholm, we spoke with Hayati Yarkadas, EVP and President, Water Infrastructure at Xylem, about this year’s Stockholm Junior Water Prize finalists, the role of young innovators in tackling the world’s water challenges and why investing in the next generation matters more than ever.
“The next generation is already shaping the future of water”
This is not your first time following the Stockholm Junior Water Prize finals. What stands out to you this year?
Every time I come to Stockholm, I think I’ve seen the best these young people can do, and every year they raise the bar. What stands out this year is how directly the projects speak to the defining water challenges of our time. We’re seeing finalists tackle scarcity, water quality and resilience not as abstract concepts, but as problems they’ve decided to act on.
Last year’s winners are a powerful example. Jana Spiller and Niklas Ruf from Germany built WarnMe, an open-source flood warning system for small streams, after their hometown was flooded in 2016 and again in 2024. They didn’t wait for someone else to solve the problem. They designed a solution that is scalable, affordable and already attracting interest from other communities.
That is what I see across this Prize year after year: rigorous science, real-world urgency and a mindset that says, “this should exist, so I’ll build it.”
A few years ago, you described this generation as environmentally conscious and impatient with “just talk”. Has that impression changed?
It has deepened. What inspires me is not only that they care. They ask difficult questions, challenge old ideas and use science and imagination to build something better.
They are not waiting for permission to make a difference, they are already doing it. So my impression hasn’t changed. It has been confirmed, year after year, by young people who refuse to accept that the way things are is the way they have to stay.
How does Xylem help Stockholm Junior Water Prize alumni turn that early recognition into something lasting?
Over the years, we’ve stayed in close contact with many of our Stockholm Junior Water Prize alumni. They receive mentorship from our teams, access to our labs and opportunities to bring their thinking into a professional environment. Some of those connections turn into internships, and some of those internships into careers.
Annabelle Rayson is a great example. She won the Prize in 2022 for her research on harmful algae blooms and later joined Xylem as an intern. Winning opened doors to research opportunities, internships and an international network of peers and mentors.
That’s the journey that matters most: a young person’s curiosity being given the mentorship and platform to grow into something lasting.
What role do you see young innovators playing in addressing water scarcity and building more resilient infrastructure over the next decade?
The water sector has to move from conventional approaches, built for more predictable environments, towards responsive and intelligent water systems that can adapt to rapid change, from more severe weather and emerging contaminants to aging infrastructure and new technologies such as AI.
That transformation requires new thinking, and young innovators will be at the forefront of it. For many of them, water stress, climate pressure and environmental uncertainty are not distant threats, they are part of everyday life.
“They did not create these challenges. They inherited them. And yet I don't see a generation giving up. I see a generation stepping forward. When we invest in youth and when we invest in water, we invest in healthier and more prosperous communities.”
Hayati Yarkadas
What would you say to a young person considering a career in water technology today?
You could not choose a more meaningful path, at a more meaningful time. The water sector is undergoing a profound shift, from aging infrastructure to intelligent, data-driven systems, and from reactive management to proactive resilience. That is opening space for fresh talent and new ideas faster than at any point in my career.
And your age does not limit your impact. Your ideas matter now. Your voice matters now. You don’t have to wait until you have a title or a degree to start making a difference. The young people I meet through this Prize are proof of that.
Xylem has partnered with the Stockholm Junior Water Prize for almost three decades. Why is that long-term commitment important?
For us, it’s more than an award. It’s a long-standing commitment to the next generation of water leaders, and it reflects who Xylem is at our core. We’ve been a proud founding sponsor for almost three decades because the Prize so closely reflects our mission: to solve water.
Impact compounds over time. Young people we met through this Prize almost 30 years ago are now professionals, mentors and leaders in the sector. The ones we meet today will be designing the systems our communities rely on tomorrow.
The next generation isn’t waiting to be invited, they’re already here. And the future of water will be shaped with them, not without them.
