Annual awards recognize innovations creating meaningful impact across communities, industries, and the environment.
CHICAGO, IL (June 16, 2026) — Current is proud to announce that H2NOW Chicago, its real-time waterway monitoring platform, has been named a winner of Fast Company’s 2026 World Changing Ideas Awards. This annual recognition honors innovative projects and organizations addressing some of the world’s most urgent challenges.
Now in its ninth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards celebrate organizations and projects that are delivering measurable impact across industries—from climate solutions and AI advancements to health, social justice, and beyond.
H2NOW Chicago functions like a weather app for Chicago’s rivers, using real-time water quality sensors to provide fast, reliable updates on river conditions, much like meteorologists track and report weather patterns. As recreational use of Chicago’s waterways continues to grow, H2NOW meets the increasing demand for timely information about river health, highlighting the progress of urban waterway restoration efforts while empowering people to make informed decisions about how and when they enjoy the water.
Beyond its public-facing impact, H2NOW serves as a critical component of Current’s NSF-backed Great Lakes RENEW engine. As part of the Great Lakes RENEW connected testbed network, H2NOW provides a real-world environment where researchers, entrepreneurs, utilities, and industry partners can pilot, validate, and demonstrate emerging water technologies, accelerating innovation across the Great Lakes region.
This year’s awards, featured on fastcompany.com, highlight 191 outstanding projects across 14 categories. A panel of Fast Company editors and reporters evaluated more than 1,500 entries based on their impact, sustainability, design, creativity, scalability, and ability to improve society.
“This recognition highlights the value of making water data accessible, actionable, and meaningful for the public,” said Alaina Harkness, CEO of Current and CEO & PI of Great Lakes RENEW. “H2NOW demonstrates the power of partnerships to derisk new ways of using technology to strengthen public engagement and support stewardship for our waterways. We’re honored to see the program recognized alongside inspiring solutions from around the world.”
Fast Company’s Summer 2026 issue (on newsstands June 23) will feature select award winners working on solutions that include geothermal energy, privacy-first cell plans, municipal grocery stores, and more.
“The World Changing Ideas Awards are more than inspiration—they’re a measure of real-world impact,” says Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “This year’s honorees are turning bold ideas into tangible solutions and addressing urgent global challenges with creativity and rigor.”
Current extends its gratitude to the researchers, technology partners, public agencies, community organizations, and funders whose collaboration has helped shape and advance H2NOW since its launch. This recognition reflects the collective effort of an ecosystem committed to improving water quality, expanding public access to environmental information, and accelerating water innovation.
Learn more about H2NOW Chicago, and stay tuned for updates on the 2026 season announcement: https://www.h2nowchicago.org/
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement No. 2315268
Media Contact: Beth Heller | beth@mharris.com | 312.953.5879
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ABOUT CURRENT
Current is an independent nonprofit water innovation hub, founded in Chicago in 2016, with a mission to grow a circular blue economy, accelerate water innovation, and solve pressing water challenges. Current collaborates with industry, innovators, communities, nonprofits and governments to advance innovative water technologies and policies that boost our economy while protecting our water resources. In 2024, Current was designated by the U.S. National Science Foundation to lead one of nine Regional Innovation Engines, Great Lakes RENEW (Recovery of Energy, Nutrients, critical Elements, and Water). To date, Current and our partners have delivered on RENEW’s waste-to-wealth mission by collectively raising over $123.2M for regional water innovation and economic development, supporting 19 R&D projects, 40+ pilots, and 110+ startups, training 560 people for blue economy jobs, and engaging 1,650 youth in water STEM programming. Learn more: currentwater.org
ABOUT FAST COMPANY
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
