Learn more about the prize and apply here! 

Recent technical advancements in the electronic industry have enabled utilities to collect more data than ever before, challenging traditional methods of data acquisition, use, and storage. Meanwhile, the market for big data analytics products and related services for the utility industry is limited, with only modest electricity domain expertise. Electric sector stakeholders are facing an emerging challenge to capitalize on large data sets while improving reliability, cost-effectiveness, energy efficiency, operations, planning, and asset and outage management.

The Digitizing Utilities Prize supports competitors as they work directly with utility partners to develop software solutions through two phases: Plan and Progress. This approach will drive accelerated development of the most promising ideas.

• Phase 1 – Plan: Teams of developers (e.g., software developers, automation engineers, data scientists) will form robust teams that are willing to solve one of the utility issues presented. Teams demonstrate that they have an understanding of the problem and propose how they would solve the problem.
• Phase 2 – Progress: Winning teams will work with the utility partners over six months to implement their proposed solution by developing a software solution that addresses the issues presented by the utilities. Teams must also demonstrate how their methods and process could be utilized by other utilities in the future.