Geothermal Collegiate Competition - Fall 2023

HeroX currently has a coding glitch where teams are being locked out of the registration submission form. 

• The GCC team is troubleshooting with the HeroX platform.
• This seems to be happening when teams begin the registration submission form, step away, then try to come back to submit.
  • We recommend completing the registration form in one sitting to avoid this issue.
• If you are receiving an error message that the challenge is closed when you try to register and would like to be paired with an industry mentor, reach out to Geo.Competition@nrel.gov by September 14 (one day extension due to technical issues).
  • You can still register for the competition after this date, but mentor pairing will not be guaranteed.

Below are the teams who have successfully registered thus far and who will be paired with mentors. 

• We are sharing this information to ensure that the technical glitch hasn't resulted in teams thinking they have submitted the form when we actually can't see it on the back end.
• If you would like an industry mentor and are not on this list, complete the registration form by September 14 (click "Begin Entry" on the competition HeroX page). 
• If you have trouble accessing the registration form, email us at the address listed above. Thank you for your understanding!

Teams registered as of 4:30 p.m. MDT, September 13:

• California State University Bakersfield (Captain: O. Valle)
• Colorado School of Mines (Captain: C. Royer)
• Grand Valley State University and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Captain: J. Stolzman)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Captain: M. Lim)
• Princeton University & Columbia University (Captain: M. Escobar)
• SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Polytechnical Institution, Russell Sage Graduate School of Occupational Therapy (Captain: N. Segina)
• University of California Berkeley (Captain: A. Sarkar)
• University of Colorado Boulder (Captain: B. Calderon)
• University of Oklahoma (Captain: S. Loggins)
• University of Oklahoma (Captain: C. Vivas)
• University of Tulsa (Captain: A. Lackner)
• University of Tulsa (Captain: K. White)
• West Virginia University (Captain: J. Dietz)

Want to be paired with a GCC industry mentor? Complete the registration form by tomorrow, 9/13 at 11:59 p.m. MDT!

• IMPORTANT NOTE: Signing up as a team on HeroX is the first step, but you must also click "Begin Entry" and complete the registration form (see image below).
  • The Geothermal Collegiate Competition registration form should take less than 5 minutes to complete.
  • Only one form per team is needed (usually completed by the Team Captain).
  • The registration will ask for at least 3 team member names and emails, as well as the track you have chosen to compete in.
    • You can change or add team members at any time; this form is not binding.
• Section 1 of the registration form asks for a title, short description, and image. These are required fields on the HeroX platform that GCC organizers cannot change.
  • Title can be your team name or school name + "Registration"
  • For "Description" share a sentence or two about your team/project.
  • Consider using your collegiate institution's logo for the image.
• Section 2 of the registration form is the important information that organizers need by 11:59 pm tomorrow, 9/13, to pair your team with a mentor.
• Questions on completing the registration form?
  • Reach out to

The informational webinar for the Fall 2023 GCC is now available to watch on demand. The virtual webinar was held live on Tuesday, August 15, 2023. 

Geothermal Collegiate Competition organizers covered:

• Eligibility requirements
• Frequently asked questions
• Considerations for site selection
• Policy vs Technical Tracks
• Stakeholder event examples
• Deliverables
• And more!

Join competition organizers TODAY, August 15 at 12 p.m. EDT for an informational webinar!

• Get tips about site selection, resources, and the new policy track.
• Hear about last year's successful Geothermal Collegiate Competition projects.
• Understand the competition timeline and deliverables.
• Ask your questions!

This is the last webinar before registration closes on Oct. 4, but you can always reach out to with questions.

Registration is now open for the Fall 2023 Geothermal Collegiate Competition! Register by September 13, 2023, to be paired with an industry mentor. The final date to register is October 4, 2023.

To register:

• Click "Solve This Challenge" on HeroX
• Team captains should fill out the "Fall 2023 Geothermal Collegiate Competition Registration Form" (click 'Begin Entry') on behalf of the team.
• We recommend having all team members make a HeroX account and connect to their team. You can add team members after completing the registration form.

After registering:

• READ the competition rules!
• Attend the Informational Webinar on August 15 at 12 p.m. EDT.
• Contact competition organizers at with questions.
• Begin your project - you can submit an optional deliverable on October 25, 2023, to receive feedback on your work in progress.
  • Final deliverables are due on December 20, 2023.