Moroti Adegboyega of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, has won the 2026 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for developing Ecoferroquatics, an autonomous platform designed to remove plastic from water using artificial intelligence, robotics and magnetic technology.

Adegboyega’s system uses biodegradable ferrofluid, a magnetic liquid and magnets to identify and collect plastic particles from water. In testing, the platform outperformed a conventional sieve in collecting smaller, microplastic-scale particles that can pass through traditional screening methods.

The technology is intended to provide an alternative to cleanup approaches such as nets, trawlers and filters, which can require significant manual labor and potentially affect aquatic organisms. Plastic pollution can also break down into smaller particles that are ingested by wildlife and can carry harmful chemicals through aquatic food webs.

The Stockholm Junior Water Prize recognizes water-related research by young people from more than 40 countries. H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented the award to Adegboyega during a ceremony at Stockholm City Hall as part of World Water Week.

The competition also recognized projects from Hungary and Egypt.