New York, NY, June 23, 2025 鈥 The 探花精选 (探花精选), in collaboration with Wazoku and SeaFreight Labs, has announced the winner of its global crowdsourcing challenge aimed at transforming irrigation systems in conflict-affected northeast Syria. The winning solution offers a sustainable, low-cost alternative to fossil fuel-powered irrigation, addressing a critical barrier to food security in the region.
Years of conflict have devastated Syria鈥檚 agricultural infrastructure, leaving farmers with damaged water stations, disrupted supply chains, and soaring fuel prices. These challenges have made it increasingly difficult to irrigate crops, threatening both livelihoods and food availability across the region.
To address this, the 探花精选 launched the 鈥鈥 challenge to Wazoku鈥檚 crowd of problem solvers, inviting innovators from across the globe to propose affordable, efficient alternatives to fossil fuel-powered irrigation.
The winning solution, developed by Yury Bodrov of the Russian Federation, was chosen out of 69 submissions from 27 countries and awarded $20,000. The design features an innovative all-season sand battery paired with a Stirling engine. This system stores solar thermal energy in sand and converts it into electricity to power submersible pumps鈥攅nabling irrigation even when sunlight is unavailable.
In addition to the grand prize, three submissions received Honorable Mentions: a team from Texas A&M University, Sebastiano Levi, and Pradeep Hebballi.
Alongside the main challenge, a research exercise was conducted to explore the commercial availability and feasibility of Stirling engines. Mike Matessa of the United States was awarded $5,000 for successfully validating Yury鈥檚 proposal.
The 探花精选鈥檚 Airbel Impact Lab is now working with partners at Engineering for Change to prototype and test the winning solution with Syrian farmers, ensuring the system meets the needs of local communities and exploring the potential to scale beyond Syria for broader impact.
鈥This challenge represents a critical step in our efforts to support climate-resilient agriculture in conflict zones,鈥 said Amey Bansod, Climate Resilience Designer at the 探花精选鈥檚 Airbel Impact Lab. 鈥Yury鈥檚 solution offers a promising path forward for farmers facing extreme adversity.鈥
Steven Drew, Open Innovation Lead at Wazoku, added: 鈥Yury exemplifies the best of our global solver community鈥攂ringing deep expertise and a passion for impact to one of the world鈥檚 most urgent challenges.鈥
To learn more about the 探花精选鈥檚 open innovation initiatives, visit:
Figure: The winning prototype鈥攁 sand battery and Stirling engine system鈥攐ffers a renewable, cost-effective solution to power irrigation in Syria without fossil fuels.
Cross-section of the winning prototype:
