Swedish Crown Princess Victoria honors prize presentation to Swabian students of distinction
German Students Win Prestigious Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Two German students, Niklas Ruf and Jana Spiller, have made history by winning the prestigious Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2025. The duo, who are students at the Ochsenhausen Gymnasium, were honoured for their project on developing a scalable flood warning system for small rivers.
The award, which comes with a sum of 15,000 US dollars, was presented to them by Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden during a ceremony at Stockholm City Hall. The event was part of World Water Week in Stockholm.
The flood warning system developed by Ruf and Spiller consists of a network of sensors connected to an app that provides live alerts to both experts and the public. This system is being expanded across their entire region in collaboration with several partners.
Tobias Beck, director of the Southwest Germany Student Research Center (SFZ) in Ochsenhausen, expressed his delight at the success of Ruf and Spiller. He noted that Stockholm only hosts "the best of the best," and he is proud that students from Ochsenhausen have won the award despite strong international competition.
Niklas Ruf and Jana Spiller will also have the opportunity to meet King Carl XVI. Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden personally on Wednesday evening. This meeting is a traditional part of the award ceremony.
Both students were surprised and pleased with the award. Jana Spiller felt very good about winning, despite strong competition. Niklas Ruf finds the other projects in the competition impressive, given their diverse focus areas.
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is a prestigious award given to recognise outstanding water-related projects by students. Every year, young people from over 40 countries participate in the competition. The prize has been awarded annually since 1997, with Ruf and Spiller being the second German team to win the award (the first being in 1998).
The organisers invite the national winners to compete against each other in the global finale in Stockholm. The winners of this year's competition will be announced at a later date.
In conclusion, the success of Niklas Ruf and Jana Spiller in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2025 is a testament to their hard work and innovative thinking. Their scalable flood warning system for small rivers has the potential to save lives and protect properties in the future.
