How PURA’s Plasma System Won 2025’s Top Youth Prize
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📰 The quick summary: Two teenage scientists developed PURA, an innovative water purification system that removes antibiotic pollution and resistant bacteria from water, helping address a critical global health threat.
📈 One key stat: Antibiotic resistance is projected to cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050, making PURA’s water purification breakthrough especially timely.
💬 One key quote: “This is not the end of our journey, but the start of it – the opportunity to take our work and our passions to another level, and continue to do good which gives us joy and purpose,” said Anna Podmanická.
1️⃣ The big picture: Two teenage innovators from Slovakia and Czechia have won The Earth Prize 2025 for creating a groundbreaking water purification system called PURA. The system uses a unique combination of light and cold plasma to remove antibiotic pollution and resistant bacteria from water – addressing one of the most urgent yet overlooked environmental challenges. Tomáš Čermák and Anna Podmanická’s invention stood out among seven regional finalists and received nearly 16,000 public votes to claim the top prize. Their achievement marks the first time either Slovakia or Czechia has produced a Global Winner in this prestigious youth environmental competition.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: This innovative water purification system tackles a major threat to public health and environmental safety that traditional methods struggle to address. The technology can help reduce antibiotic pollution in water systems, which contributes significantly to the growing crisis of antibiotic resistance. The solution is particularly promising for household use, with potential for scaling up to wastewater treatment plants. By addressing this challenge, PURA helps protect both human health and aquatic ecosystems from the harmful effects of pharmaceutical contamination.
3️⃣ What’s next: Tomáš and Anna will use their $12,500 prize money to scale up their prototype for treating larger volumes of water. They plan to develop their technology further with the goal of implementing it in wastewater treatment plants. The team will also work with The Earth Foundation to raise awareness about water pollution from drugs and antibiotics while inspiring other young innovators to tackle environmental challenges.
Read the full story here: Happy Eco News – Teen Duo from Slovakia and Czechia win The Earth Prize 2025 with Groundbreaking Clean Water Solution
