---
title: "In Student ‘Shark Tank’ Competition, Creativity is in the Water"
date: 2026-04-08T00:00:00-04:00
author: Ella LaGrange
canonical_url: "https://forward.umd.edu/news/in-student-shark-tank-competition-creativity-is-in-the-water"
section: News
---
# In Student ‘Shark Tank’ Competition, Creativity is in the Water

*April 8, 2026* — by Ella LaGrange
> Architectural Design Solutions Vie for Top Prize in Annual Ideas Challenge

With its tree-lined sidewalks, carpet-like quads and manicured flowerbeds, the archetypical college campus isn’t thirsty for scenery. But its scenery is thirsty all the time, gulping millions of gallons of water a year to keep up appearances.

A pitch for a modular vegetation wall that could keep universities (and other properties) lush through rain- and gray water harvesting, filtering and storage was one of two concepts to take the top prize this year at ArchiNova, the annual “Shark Tank”-style ideas competition for University of Maryland architecture students.

- [Learn More About this Pitch](https://arch.umd.edu/about/news-and-events/news/student-shark-tank-competition-creativity-water)