The RELX Environmental Challenge 2026 is now open for entries!
The RELX Environmental Challenge 2026 has been recently announced for entries, seeking for the projects that best demonstrate how they can provide sustainable access to safe water or sanitation.
Short description
The RELX Environmental Challenge 2026 has been recently announced for entries, seeking for the projects that best demonstrate how they can provide sustainable access to safe water or sanitation.
The RELX Environmental Challenge stands as an impactful international platform dedicated to scaling innovative, early-stage projects that confront the world’s most critical water and marine issues. Celebrating fifteen years of environmental stewardship, this annual skill-based competition actively invites creators from across the globe to present practical, scalable, and sustainable solutions where access to safe water or stable marine health is at risk.
The initiative places a heavy emphasis on community equity, ensuring that proposed projects do not simply innovate in a vacuum but actively improve the daily lives of underserved populations. Whether tackling municipal sanitation infrastructure or pioneering advanced systems to preserve coastal ecosystems, participants are pushed to design frameworks that deeply engage local stakeholders and respect human rights. As climate disruptions continue to accelerate water scarcity and degrade oceanic biodiversity, mechanisms like the RELX Environmental Challenge serve as crucial accelerators for grassroots solutions. By funding early-stage enterprises and non-profit organizations alike, RELX ensures that groundbreaking environmental strategies receive the immediate visibility and capital necessary to deliver long-term, structural benefits to our planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems.
This global competition welcomes applications from both for-profit and not-for-profit entities, prioritizing projects that demonstrate a clear path toward real-world implementation.
In 2026, as organisers celebrates 15 years of impact, the Challenge introduces an expanded prize structure. There will now be two awards of $75,000 each:
➜ One prize for Clean Water or Sanitation - Projects must advance sustainable access to safe water where it is at risk and/or improve access to sanitation.
➜ One prize for Ocean-related innovation - Projects must support ocean health, marine ecosystems, or ocean-based solutions that contribute to environmental sustainability and resilience.
What organiser is looking for:
➜ Projects must target either Clean Water/Sanitation access or Ocean Health/Marine Ecosystem resilience.
➜ Proposed solutions must explicitly demonstrate scalability, replicability, and long-term financial sustainability.
➜ Submissions must detail strong local engagement and adhere to principles of non-discrimination and equity of access.
➜ Projects must demonstrate clear practical applicability, address a defined need, and contribute to advancing related issues such as health, education, equity, or human rights.
Applications are reviewed against the RELX Environmental Challenge criteria by the RELX Environmental Challenge advisory group, comprised of relevant internal and external water and sanitation specialists. Those in contention for the shortlist are reviewed by an expert panel of external judges.
All submissions will be evaluated against the following criteria:
➜ Be replicable, scalable, and sustainable
➜ Set a benchmark for innovation
➜ Demonstrate practical applicability
➜ Address non-discrimination and equity of access
➜ Involve and positively impact a range of stakeholders
➜ Show strong local or community-level engagement
Submission requirements
All proposals must be submitted in English, with early-stage concepts strongly preferred by the advisory panel. Winners are expected to use the provided capital directly to launch, sustain, or scale their respective proposals in alignment with local community needs.
Eligibility
The RELX Environmental Challenge is open to individuals and organisations operating in both the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age at the time of entry and possess valid internet access.
Benefits
Awarding a $50,000 prize for the first place entry and a $25,000 prize for the second place entry, winners also receive free access for one year to ScienceDirect, our Scientific, Technical & Medical business’ database of full text, scientific information, including almost 250,000 articles since 2000 in Environmental Sciences.
In 2026, the Challenge introduces an expanded prize structure. There will now be two awards of $75,000 each:
➜ One prize for Clean Water or Sanitation
➜ One prize for Ocean-related innovation
Entry fees
The competition is free to enter.
