![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SCN9626Shannon_Lemanksi_talking_to_King_Charles.jpg\")
Shannon Lemanksi talking to King Charles. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\nA Sunshine Coast entrepreneur has received international recognition after becoming the first Australian to win a global award at the King\u2019s Trust Awards in London.<\/p>\n
The recognition was awarded to Shannon Lemanski, who runs Aqua Ubique in Birtinya with his wife Danni, for developing technology that produces drinking water from air.<\/p>\n
The system is being used to help supply safe water to remote Queensland communities while also reducing reliance on plastic bottles.<\/p>\n
Mr Lemanski, 35, was presented with The King\u2019s Trust Global Sustainability Award by his \u201call-time favourite actor\u201d Benedict Cumberbatch, and spent time chatting with King Charles at the star-studded awards ceremony held recently at Royal Albert Hall.<\/p>\n
A former Australian Army logistics officer, Mr Lemanski described the event and award as \u201csurreal\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cKing Charles knew a lot about our business and was super supportive of the work we\u2019re doing through our Drop4Drop\u201d Program, which provides less fortunate Australians with reliable access to safe drinking water,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBenedict is my acting hero, and to have him present the award was incredible.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s an awesome dude who was genuinely interested in what we\u2019re doing and said to keep in contact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shannon Lemanksi talking to King Charles. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n
On leaving the army \u2013 where he\u2019d witnessed the problems caused by unsafe water in PNG \u2013 Mr Lemanski was handed a pamphlet about the national charity founded by the-then Prince of Wales, inspiring veterans and their families into entrepreneurship roles.<\/p>\n
He enrolled in the trust\u2019s Enterprise Accelerator program which helped turn his innovative idea into a viable business and attract his first customer.<\/p>\n
Incredibly, Mr Lemanski said meeting King Charles and Benedict Cumberbatch paled against the satisfaction he\u2019s deriving from the Drop4Drop Program, which is allowing communities to access the previously \u201cunaffordable\u201d atmospheric water generation (AWG) technology.<\/p>\n
Under their business model, Mr and Ms Lemanski, who also won last year\u2019s Biosphere Business of the Year at the Sunshine Coast Biosphere Community Awards, are supplying one free unit to remote or regional First Nations communities for every five commercial units being leased.<\/p>\n