What is the Design Challenge?
The Design Challenge is an annual collegiate competition where interdisciplinary teams create sustainable, high-performance building designs that address real-world issues such as existing building retrofits, community impacts, affordability, and resilience.
Teams collaborate on a residential or commercial design project for one or two academic semesters, with the competition culminating each April at the Solar Decathlon Competition Event.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR THE 2025 DESIGN CHALLENGE
Collegiate institutions can start preparing for the 2025 Design Challenge today! Complete details will be available in the 2025 Design Challenge Rules in July 2024.
- July 2024: Registration opens, 2025 Design Challenge Rules released.
- September 10, 2024: Kickoff webinar
- October 23, 2024: Team Registration deadline
- February 2025: Virtual Semifinal Competition Event
- April 25-27, 2025: Final Competition Event with in-person and virtual options; hosted at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.
Find more STEM events and deadlines on the DOE STEM calendar.