The 2026 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition

Overview 

Marine energy—power generated from ocean waves, currents, tides, and temperature changes—is the world's largest untapped energy resource. Further work is needed to optimize marine energy device designs and reduce costs. 

The Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC) invites interdisciplinary teams of postsecondary, undergraduate, and graduate students from a variety of academic programs to solve marine energy challenges in the blue economy. Through the competition, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies OfficeU.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) hopes to inspire students to innovate in and accelerate the emerging marine energy industry. The competition will enable students to network with marine energy professionals, learn about marine energy careers, develop professional skills, and gain insights into marine energy’s potential to contribute to a reliable and affordable energy future.  

Competition Structure 

Student teams selected in the 2026 application process will have 7–10 months to develop their concepts for presentation at the final event planned in May 2026. To demonstrate their progress throughout the competition, teams will submit written documents according to a schedule described in the competition rules document. Teams will also attend monthly all-team calls, receive an assigned industry mentor, and have access to educational webinars and networking opportunities with marine energy experts. 

The 2026 competition introduces two “leagues”—the Kilowatt League (foundational level) and the Megawatt League (advanced level)—with different participation requirements outlined below. The Kilowatt League is designed for teams new to the competition or those opting for a scaled-down participation experience. The Megawatt League is designed for teams prepared to fully participate in all MECC challenges. Both leagues are part of the same competition but will participate in different challenges and have different submission requirements and prizes. 

The challenges that teams participate in are determined by their chosen league: 

Megawatt League (Advanced Level) 

Teams must participate in all four core challenges:  

Business Plan Challenge  

Technical Design Challenge  

Build and Test Challenge  

Community Connections Challenge.  

Eligible for up to $20,000 per team for successful participation.   

Eligible for final grand prize cash awards.   

Required to submit midyear submissions and full final reports and must conduct two presentations at the final event.  

Kilowatt League (Foundational Level) 

Teams must participate in the Community Connections Challenge and at least one of the following:  

Business Plan Challenge  

Technical Design Challenge  

Teams interested in participating in the Build and Test Challenge must participate in the Technical Design Challenge.  

Designed for teams seeking a more flexible competition experience.  

Eligible for up to $20,000 per team for successful participation.   

Eligible for grand prize awards.   

Required to submit midyear submissions and final reports for selected challenges and must conduct two presentations at the final event. 

The six MECC challenges are:  

Business Plan Challenge (Scored): Teams will identify a promising market within the blue economy (either a market identified in the WPTO Powering the Blue Economy report or another potential market) and determine the best marine energy system to serve the market’s needs. Competitors will then evaluate the performance requirements of the marine energy system for end users in the identified market and develop a business plan. 

Technical Design Challenge (Scored): Teams will evaluate the performance requirements in their chosen blue economy market by identifying and interviewing at least three potential end users. Teams will complete a detailed design of a marine-energy-powered device to serve those end users.  

Build and Test Challenge (Scored): Teams will build a scaled prototype of their concept and perform a series of lab tests to meet their defined build and test objectives. 

Community Connections Challenge (Scored): Teams will engage with the marine energy industry and relevant communities to: (1) connect with professionals to explore an industry challenge they are passionate about, (2) develop innovative solutions to address that challenge, and (3) take meaningful action toward implementing one of their solutions.  

Poster (Unscored): Teams will bring one poster to the final event summarizing the team’s efforts in the Business Plan Challenge, Technical Design Challenge, and Build and Test Challenge. Including a summary of the Community Connections Challenge is optional, as technical content will likely occupy most of the poster space.   

Why participate? The poster provides a valuable opportunity to showcase your team’s work to a wide audience, including industry professionals, potential employers, and peers. It also helps sharpen your ability to communicate complex ideas visually and concisely—an essential skill in any technical or business career.  

Quick Pitch (Unscored): During the final event, teams will have 90 seconds to present their concept and findings from the challenges in front of the final event attendees.   

Why participate? The quick pitch is a platform to practice public speaking, capture attention, and make a lasting impression on professionals in the field. It also helps teams refine their message and clearly articulate the value of their work—skills that are critical for interviews, networking, and pitching future projects.  

Teams select the league in which they would like to compete during the application process.  

Megawatt League teams can request to move into the Kilowatt League by March 1, 2026. Requests for a league transfer can be made via email to the Prize Administrators at water.competiton@nrel.gov.  

Kilowatt League teams can request to move into the Megawatt League by Dec. 31, 2025. Requests for a league transfer can be made via email to the Prize Administrators at water.competiton@nrel.gov.  

Competitors will identify a promising market within the blue economy (either a market identified in the WPTO Powering the Blue Economy report or another feasible blue economy market). Students will then determine the best marine energy application within that market to address.  

Teams may consist of a combination of undergraduate and graduate students but must be at least 50% students who are pursuing their bachelor’s and/or associate’s degree at the beginning of the competition. Only 50% of the team may be pursuing an advanced degree (master’s, Ph.D., etc.).  

In keeping with the goal of growing a community of innovators, competitors are encouraged to form multidisciplinary teams while developing their concept, including but not limited to disciplines such as:  

Engineering 

Business 

Marketing 

Communications 

Environmental and Public Policy 

Social Sciences. 

Non-U.S. institutions are eligible to participate on their own, without a U.S. university partner; however, these teams will not be eligible to receive cash prizes and must provide their own funding to support travel and competition expenses.  

U.S. academic institutions must be accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. 

Review the MECC 2026 Rules to learn more.  

If you have any questions or want to receive updates on the prize, please subscribe by using the contact feature on the HeroX platform or message us directly at Water.Competition@nrel.gov.