Kurup was named the 2014 U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize winner for her photocatalytic composite that purifies wastewater.
On July 18, 2014, Deepika Kurup was announced as the winner of the U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize, a national competition that identifies the top young water-science innovator in the country each year, serving as the gateway to the international Stockholm Junior Water Prize.
Her winning project involved the development of a novel photocatalytic pervious composite, a material capable of degrading organic pollutants and inactivating harmful bacteria in wastewater using sunlight-driven chemical reactions. This built upon and significantly advanced her earlier solar water purification work from 2012, refining the science into a more robust and versatile filtration composite.
Winning this prestigious national prize affirmed Kurup's standing as one of the most accomplished young scientists in the water-technology space in the United States. The Stockholm Junior Water Prize, often referred to as the 'Junior Nobel Prize for Water', is organized under the auspices of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and has a history of identifying young scientists who go on to significant careers in STEM and environmental policy.
The recognition provided Kurup a platform to advocate on the global stage for accessible water purification technologies, and it directly led to her selection to represent the United States at the international final held later that summer in Stockholm, Sweden.