Hydrologist Günter Blöschl has been awarded the 2025 Stockholm Water Prize for his world-renowned research in flood risk reduction, water resource management, flood scaling, and regional process hydrology. His comprehensive database and analyses have significantly advanced global understanding of flood dynamics and water management strategies. As the founder of the emerging scientific field of regional process hydrology and co-founder of sociohydrology, he has shaped the way scientists assess flood risks in the context of climate change.
In its citation, the Prize Committee stated: “Professor Günter Blöschl is the world’s leading flood hydrologist. He has made groundbreaking contributions to understanding the drivers of increasing flood risks under climate change coupled to the strong influence of regional flood processes. His observation-based connection between climate and floods revealed that the last two decades have been markedly flood-prone compared to the historical record.”
On receiving the award, Professor Blöschl said:“This is such an honour. It really makes me think about how lucky I am to be working with such brilliant people.”
He has collaborated closely with previous prize laureates Taikan Oki and Andrea Rinaldo.
Academic leadership and global collaboration
Blöschl is a professor at the Vienna University of Technology, where he heads the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management. He also founded the Doctoral Programme of Water Resources Systems more than 15 years ago and holds a part-time professorship at the University of Bologna. He grew up in Vienna, where he still lives with his family, including three children and four grandchildren.
His scientific work has taken him to many international locations, including the United States, Canada and Australia. Blöschl enjoys working with people across cultures and disciplines, and believes:“There is immense value in sharing perspectives and aims across disciplines and sectors of society.”
A timely recognition in the era of climate change
Anette Scheibe Lorentzi, Chair of the Stockholm Water Foundation, emphasizes the importance of Blöschl’s contributions:
“With his ground-breaking research, Professor Blöschl has made invaluable contributions to our understanding of flood risk reduction and sustainable water resource management. In the face of a changing climate, this knowledge is more important than ever, and I congratulate Professor Blöschl on being awarded the Stockholm Water Prize 2025.”
The Stockholm Water Prize is awarded by the Stockholm Water Foundation in cooperation with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The prize will be presented by H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during World Water Week in Stockholm this August. Founding partners of the prize include Ålandsbanken, Bacardi, the PDJ Foundation, the World Economic Forum (WEF), and Xylem.
