In 2023, a set of Main Topics and Challenges which align with SDG Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) were newly selected by the international steering committee. With 5 Main Topics and 9 Challenges, WWCH 2023 received a total of 126 submissions from 43 countries.
As a result of the first round of evaluation, 9 solutions were chosen and invited to the final round. The finalists were evaluated based on their oral presentations and Q&A held in the final round and the three winners of WWCH 2023 were decided according to the following criteria: Comprehension, Contribution to “Sustainability”, Feasibility, Originality/Novelty and Impact. “THE BEST” prize winner was granted 10,000,000 KRW (Approx. 7,600 USD) for the solution titled ‘Recycling of wastewater to recover fresh water, reduce brine discharge and capture CO2’, and two winners were granted the “OUTSTANDING” prize for the solutions titled ‘Clean Water Village:Sustainable Water Resource Management Action from Catchment to Villagers’, and ‘SWC’. The two awardees also received 3,000,000 KRW (Approx. 2,200 USD) cash prize with trophies.