DRINK: Test & Demonstrate in the Ocean

Stage V: DRINK

180 DAYS: September 2021 to April 2022

Winners of the CREATE Stage had 180 days to build and ship their systems to test their prototypes in the open ocean at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, North Carolina. Teams competed on efficiency, logistics, and system integration metrics, and were scored on each devices ability to meet minimal thresholds, and performance against the defined metrics. Only winners of the CREATE Stage were allowed to participate in the DRINK Stage.

Congratulations to our Grand Prize Winner!

Grand Prize Winner, Oneka, was awarded $500,000 for overall best score. The Snowflake device earned the highest score for its ability to efficiently harness wave energy and desalinate water. Oneka’s system also scored high on its potential to be commercialized, based on the assessment of expert reviewers.

Even More DRINK Stage Innovation

In addition to the Grand Prize, the following teams were also awarded for their wave-powered water makers’ accomplishments:

• $125,000 awarded to Team WATER BROS for delivering the lightest device
• $125,000 awarded to Team Oneka for producing the most water
• $125,000 awarded across teams for Simplest Assembly. This award was split based on the time to assemble between all four finalist teams as:
  • Oneka: $80,000
  • Mark Zero Prototypes LLC: $20,000
  • WATER BROS: $17,000
  • Project 816: $9,000
• $125,000 awarded across teams for Simplest Deployment and Retrieval. This award was split based on the scored ease of deployment and retrieval between all four finalist teams as:
  • Mark Zero Prototypes LLC: $38,000
  • WATER BROS: $36,000
  • Project 816: $26,000
  • Oneka: $24,000

After three years of hard work, each of the teams’ devices produced desalinated water while weathering the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Learn more about their winning concepts: