The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation is launching the Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies (PROSPECT) Implementation Prize. This prize supports academic institutions in activating, implementing, and demonstrating progress toward programs to expand the domestic critical minerals and materials supply chain workforce.
PROSPECT launched its first prize in September 2026—the PROSPECT Planning Prize. The PROSPECT Implementation Prize is separate and distinct. See details on the PROSPECT Planning Prize at the bottom of this page.
The United States is entering a new era of domestic critical minerals and materials development. Securing resilient domestic supply chains requires not only new mines, processing facilities, manufacturing capacity, and recycling infrastructure, but also a new generation of engineers, scientists, technicians, and skilled professionals prepared to build and sustain them.
The $70 million PROSPECT Implementation Prize rewards U.S.-based academic institutions with eligible mining engineering programs for implementation plans and applied outcomes to expand the domestic materials supply chain workforce. The goal of the prize is to substantially increase—with the goal of doubling—the number of graduates and other credentialed professionals prepared for relevant mining and supply chain fields by the end of the 2028 calendar year.
Competing schools must implement a connected education-to-employment pathway that links recruitment and awareness, pathway entry and enrollment, education and training, credential or degree completion, career-connected experience, and employment or continued education.
This prize is part of DOE’s broader PROSPECT initiative, which aims to unleash U.S. affordable energy dominance, rebuild domestic supply chains, and reduce reliance on foreign adversaries for the materials that power modern energy, manufacturing, and defense technologies.
The PROSPECT Implementation Prize is funded by DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation. The prize is managed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies under the American-Made program.
The PROSPECT Implementation Prize recognizes critical minerals and materials workforce program achievements across three anticipated phases. Up to $70 million total* is offered across the prize, with additional funding possible, pending availability of future funds. Read the prize rules for details on phase goals, submission materials, and submission scoring.
Phase 1: Activate | Approximately $60 million prize pool | Up to 16 winners
Recognizes completed implementation plans, as well as launch and readiness actions and early implementation.
Anticipated Phase 2: Progress | Approximately $10 million | Up to 16 winners
Recognizes demonstrated implementation and competitor results.
Anticipated Phase 3: Document | Approximately $160,000 | Up to 16 winners
Recognizes final outcomes and complete documentation of program results and lessons learned.
*Phase amounts do not add to $70 million because they are dependent on response rate and application quality.
The PROSPECT Implementation Prize includes three separate phases. View the official prize timeline for the most current dates and deadlines for each phase. All dates are subject to change, including challenge openings, deadlines, and announcements.
Click on the “Follow Challenge” button at the top of this page to receive the latest prize updates. If you have questions, please use the contact feature on the HeroX platform or message us directly at PROSPECTprize@nlr.gov.
For full eligibility requirements, please read the official rules.
From September 2026 to October 2026, DOE ran the PROSPECT Planning Prize. This prize challenged U.S.-based academic institutions with eligible mining engineering programs to submit plans for novel programs aimed at substantially increasing the number of graduates and other credentialed professionals prepared for relevant mining and supply chain fields by the end of the 2028 calendar year. DOE selected 16 PROSPECT Planning Prize winners, each earning $1 million.
Winners of the PROSPECT Planning Prize as well as those who neither won nor applied are invited to compete in the PROSPECT Implementation Prize.
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