The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) funds many competitions, prizes, and similar contests to support the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs.
Expand your knowledge and share your skills in the development and commercialization of advanced energy technologies:
AlgaePrize
Launched in January 2022, the AlgaePrize is a new competition from the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) that encourages students to pursue innovative ideas for the development, design, and invention of technologies within...
Learn more
Solar Decathlon
Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition of 10 contests that challenge student teams to design and build full-size, solar-powered houses.
Learn more
Collegiate Wind Competition
CWC challenges interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate students from a variety of programs to offer a unique solution to a complex wind energy project, providing each student with real-world experience.
Learn more
Geothermal Collegiate Competition
The U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Collegiate Competition engages college and university teams to design direct-use concepts leveraging...
Learn more
Solar District Cup
The Solar District Cup is a collegiate competition that challenges student teams to design and model distributed solar energy systems.
Learn more
Hydropower Collegiate Competition (HCC)
To pave the way for next-generation workers to start their careers in clean energy WPTO, NREL, and the Hydropower Foundation have created HCC.
Learn more
Hydropower Operations Optimization (H2Os) Prize
Help solve some of the most near-term challenges in the clean energy transition by optimizing hydropower operations to improve the grid's reliability.
Learn more
Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize
DOE aims to fund up to 10 organizations for ongoing and/or proposed activities related to climate and clean energy.
Learn more
Powering the Blue Economy™: Ocean Observing Prize
A joint competition with WPTO and NOAA that consists of two competitions designed to accelerate innovation in marine energy and ocean observation.
Learn more
Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC)
MECC challenges interdisciplinary teams of undergrad and grad students to offer unique solutions to the burgeoning marine energy industry.
Learn more
DOE is full of learning, research and job opportunities: from entrepreneurship competitions to research at our national labs. Check out our Internships, Fellowships, and Graduate and Post Doctoral Opportunities for more ways to become involved with EERE and its programs.