24 student teams, five water challenges and two winners: looking back at the De Twentse Golf Watercreathon 2026

Friday 18 September 2026

How do we ensure that we have enough clean and accessible water in the future? That was the question around 120 students from Saxion University of Applied Sciences and the University of Twente tackled on Thursday, 17 September during the De Twentse Golf Watercreathon. In 24 teams, they spent the day working on five concrete water challenges from the region. They were given the time and space to develop their ideas and make them pitch perfect.

From water challenge to solution

No fewer than 11 organisations brought five challenges to the table. The topics varied widely, but they all had one thing in common: they called for solutions that were not only innovative, but also practical and applicable.

The Royal Netherlands Army challenged students to find a solution for the availability and quality of drinking water in mobile camps. Vitens, MST and ZGT asked teams to think about the water-positive hospital of 2050. Rabobank and WaterBank wanted to make the social, economic and ecological value of water more visible. Feestfabriek, organiser of the Zwarte Cross, challenged students to develop a smart and future-proof water system for the festival site. And the Municipality of Enschede and Vechtstromen Water Authority focused on developing a climate-resilient ‘sponge edge’ between the city and the surrounding landscape.

A lot can happen in a short time

Having just one day to come up with a concrete solution proved to be no obstacle for the students. Quite the opposite. Ideas, prototypes and even fully developed concepts started taking shape within hours.

The challenge providers also noticed this energy. For example, the Municipality of Enschede was enthusiastic about bringing a current, real-life challenge to the students. Their fresh perspective resulted in new angles and ideas that organisations do not always see themselves.

And sometimes things move faster than expected. In just a few hours, teams managed to develop their ideas remarkably far. Some students were even so enthusiastic about their solution that they said they wanted to continue working on it after the Watercreathon.

From the first pitch to the Dragon’s Den

Each team presented its final solution in a pitch, after which the challenge provider selected the winning team. The five winning teams then moved on to the grand finale: a Dragon’s Den judged by a four-member jury.

The €1,000 first prize went to Modusens, winner of the Royal Netherlands Army challenge. Zwarte Cross Battery was named runner-up and took home €500.

Walk on Water – side programme

Alongside the Watercreathon, a side programme was organised for professionals, policymakers, businesses, researchers and others interested in water challenges and solutions.

The programme started with a Walk on Water: a walk along different locations in and around the centre of Enschede where both water challenges and solutions take centre stage. Along the way, participants gained insights from different perspectives into projects and solutions related to water management, drought, climate adaptation and creating a future-proof living environment.

A big thank you to all 11 challenge providers, the students, jury members, participants and partners who made this day possible. And of course, to Connect-U for providing the facilities and taking care of the catering.

Together, we continue working on solutions for the water challenges of today and tomorrow.