American-Made Inclusive Solar Outreach Awards

The Inclusive Solar Outreach Awards are designed to recognize effective and inclusive solar industry communications and campaigns. The goal of the Inclusive Solar Outreach Awards is to gather best practices in engaging diverse and/or underrepresented communities about solar energy and its benefits and to share those best practices with others. 

Awards will be made each year for three years. Up to three winners for each of the following categories may be selected, depending on the number and quality of applications in each category:

• Residential solar adoption campaign
• Community solar subscription campaign
• Solar co-op subscription campaign
• Utility-scale solar community engagement campaign
• Workforce recruitment and/or retention campaign

Winners will be publicly announced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and invited to participate in a DOE-hosted webinar on communications and outreach best practices. Winners’ best practices will also be used to develop a guide to encourage greater adoption of these practices. No cash prizes will be awarded. 

The Inclusive Solar Outreach Awards will recognize communications campaigns that are successful in increasing solar energy adoption and/or solar workforce recruitment and retention among a diverse target audience and that cross a variety of mediums, including digital, print, event, video, mobile, podcast,  social media, audio, and more. Excellent campaigns will be able to show evidence that their campaign has had a positive, meaningful impact on their target audience. Examples of targeted, effective, and inclusive campaign goals could include but are not limited to:

• Increased solar adoption rates among the target audience,
• Savings on electrical bills among the target audience,
• Decreased energy burden among the target audience,
• Reduction in pollution or other environmental harm due to solar adoption in target communities or areas,
• Increased knowledge and positive sentiment among the target audience about the benefits of solar energy,
• Increased opportunities for the target audience to join, stay in, or advance in the solar workforce, or
• Increased solar jobs in the target communities or areas.

The awards will honor campaigns that target audiences that have the potential to increase the diversity of solar adopters and the solar workforce. “Diversity” includes all the ways in which people differ, encompassing the many characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. These target audiences could include but are not limited to Black, Latino, Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural, low-income, or frontline communities; or persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

The awards will also honor campaigns that seek to increase equitable access to solar energy and its benefits. “Equity” is consistent and systematic fair treatment, access, opportunity, justice, and advancement for all people. These campaigns could aim to increase equitable access to solar energy benefits including but not limited to electrical bill savings, reduced environmental impact, increased resilience, and opportunities to join, stay in, and advance in the solar workforce. In addition, these campaigns will use web accessibility standards so that people with disabilities can access their content.

Please review the official rules  for the complete application process and instructions for competing.