1,200 classes from around the world including Germany, Brazil, Gabon, Morocco, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and France took part in an international competition held by Générale des Eaux / Veolia Water which ran from March to June 2004.

A prize draw was held and the grand prize was awarded to Brazil. Each pupil in the winning class received a mountain bike. Pupils from the other countries received a backpack with a compass and an isothermal flask. Questions ranging from science and technology, history, geography, literature and even music helped to encourage an awareness among the children of how important it is to develop and conserve this resource. Water is an essential, rare and fragile resource that each of us needs to conserve for future generations. Almost 36,000 8-11 year olds took part in the competition. As a thank you, each class received a teaching kit (water box) .

Gabon received a special "Veolia Water" award for the outstanding commitment shown by its country's participants.