To encourage the public to take a closer look at all that water power has to offer and to document its importance to the U.S. energy grid, the Water Power Technologies Office is launching the Make A Splash Photo and Video Contest!
Water Power Technologies Office
June 21, 2023
minute read time
Water power technologies, including hydropower and marine energy, have an increasingly important role as the nation moves toward a clean energy economy. To encourage the public to take a closer look at all that water power has to offer and to document its importance to the U.S. energy grid, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) is launching the Make A Splash Photo and Video Contest.
Hydropower accounts for about 6.2% of total electricity generation in the United States and 28.7% of renewable electricity generation. Pumped storage hydropower contributes 93% of the country’s utility-scale energy storage. Meanwhile, the marine energy industry is in the nascent stages of development today, but the total available marine energy resource in the United States is equivalent to approximately 57% of all U.S. power generation in 2019. Even if only a small portion of this technical resource potential is captured, marine energy technologies would make significant contributions to U.S. energy needs.
These two resources are also critical to integrating other renewable resources onto the electricity grid. Existing U.S. hydropower facilities could help bring up to 137 gigawatts of new wind and solar online by 2035, and the predictability of marine energy resources means those technologies can also complement variable renewables.
The new Make A Splash Photo and Video Contest, which is expected to open for submissions in July, will offer up to $2,000 each for the best photos and videos of water power technologies, research and development, and infrastructure, along with people and communities focused on water power.
WPTO welcomes photos and videos from photographers and videographers of all proficiency levels and will feature their work online and in outreach efforts such as presentations, newsletters, educational materials, social media, and other engagement opportunities. Prizes will be distributed over six photography categories and three video categories for a total prize pool of $31,500.
Photo Categories
Entrants will be able to submit up to 20 photos (total) across the following categories:
- Conventional Hydropower and Pumped Storage
- Small, Distributed, or Low-Impact Hydropower
- Marine Energy
- Powering the Blue Economy™
- Faces of Water Power
- Communities Powered by Water
Video Categories
Entrants will be able to submit up to six clips or timelapse videos (total) across the following categories:
- Marine Renewable Energy Technologies
- Hydropower Technologies
- Faces of Water Power
Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges, and winners are expected to be announced in December 2023.
The Make a Splash Photo and Video Contest is administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and funded by WPTO. Learn more on the contest website and send questions to Water.Photos@nrel.gov. View the winning images from WPTO’s previous photo contest.
Stay in the know with WPTO! Receive the latest information on WPTO funding opportunities, events, and other news by subscribing to the bimonthly Hydro Headlines and Water Column newsletters, as well as the comprehensive, monthly Water Wire newsletter.