Canadian desalination innovator clears all objective judging criteria in first-ever field testing round, advancing from 93 global competitors in Track A to a field of 20 Semifinalists.
Sherbrooke, Quebec — May 12, 2026 — Oneka Technologies today announced it has been selected as one of 20 Semifinalists in the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition, Track A – Desalination: System-Level Innovation. The announcement marks Oneka’s advancement through the competition’s inaugural physical testing phase, in which teams operated real desalination systems in the field for the first time. By reaching the Semifinals, Oneka has secured $250,000 USD in prize money.
The XPRIZE Water Scarcity Qualified Teams Testing phase took place in Q4 2025 and represented a significant evolution from earlier rounds of written proposals. For the first time, all 93 qualified teams from Track A were required to demonstrate working solutions in real-world conditions, operating integrated desalination systems and submitting water samples to an independent XPRIZE-designated laboratory for analysis.Oneka’s system exceeded all objective judging criteria set by the competition.
From the original pool of 93 qualified teams from Track A worldwide, only 20 Semifinalists were selected in Track A, representing innovators from 10 countries.
“Reaching this milestone means more than a competition result,” said Dragan Tutic, CEO & Founder of Oneka Technologies. “It’s confirmation that our technology works, not on paper, but in the field, under real conditions, producing real drinking water. The scale of the water crisis demands solutions that can actually be deployed, and that’s exactly what we’ve built at Oneka.”
For the Qualified Teams Testing round, Oneka deployed its wave-powered desalination system, harnessing the natural energy of ocean waves to produce fresh water with no external energy input and a minimal environmental footprint. As a specialist in renewable desalination, Oneka continues to push the boundaries of what sustainable water production can look like, with a focus on maximizing performance while staying true to its core commitment to clean energy. The system is designed for the communities that need it most: coastal and island populations where access to affordable, clean water remains an urgent and persistent challenge, and where renewable energy is often the only viable path forward
The XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition has drawn global attention as one of the most rigorous and well-resourced innovation challenges in the water sector.This $119 million, five-year global competition, sponsored by the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, is designed to drive widespread access to clean water by creating reliable, sustainable, and affordable seawater desalination systems.
Oneka will now advance to the Semifinals testing round, where teams will face expanded performance benchmarks and continue to be evaluated on innovation, sustainability, and scalability.
Oneka Technologies is a Canadian company specializing in water technologies, with a growing international presence. Its mission is to make the oceans a sustainable and affordable source of freshwater. By harnessing only renewable energies, such as wave power, Oneka transforms seawater into drinking water, enabling coastal communities and industries facing water scarcity to adapt and fight climate change. Founded in Sherbrooke, Canada, in 2015, the company operates in Canada, the United States, and Chile.
XPRIZE is the recognized global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity’s greatest challenges. For over 30 years, our unique model has democratized crowd-sourced innovation and scientifically scalable solutions that accelerate a more equitable and abundant future. Donate, learn more, and co-architect a world of abundance with us at xprize.org.
Media Contact:
Camille St-Pierre
Commercial Director
camille@onekawater.com
+1-819-485-0335 ext. 711
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