Innovation happens when the right resources, people, and passion come together. With the Solar Prize, teams of creative individuals and entrepreneurs will advance conceptual solutions toward product realities with the support of a unique and powerful network and a chance to win up to $3 million in cash prizes.
A prize competition structured for success
The Solar Prize is an opportunity for anyone interested in accelerating ideas and solutions. The American-Made Network is designed to strengthen and scale the very best ideas and teams through three progressive prize competitions, the Ready! Set! Go! Contests. This network provides the tools and expertise to help projects succeed and is comprised of an unparalleled innovation system. These resources will provide technical insight, product validation, and strategic support to teams throughout the competition.
Competing in the prize is easy!
Identify an important problem you want to solve
Submit a 90-second video describing your challenge and proposed solution, team, and plan
Answer a short, four-question narrative and make a slide about this problem or challenge
Submit a two-page technical assistance request
Update your videos and statements as you advance through the contests.
More than $3 million in incentives for innovation
The Ready! Set! Go! Contests will fast-track efforts to identify, develop, and test disruptive solutions to solar industry needs for a total of $3 million in cash prizes and up to $900,000 in vouchers which can be used at national laboratories and other voucher facilities to develop, test, and validate. Each stage will have a 90-day performance period when participants work to advance their solutions.
Contest
Winners
Prizes
Ready!
Up to 20
Up to $1,000,000 distributed equally among each winner with $50,000 per winner.
Set!
Up to 10
$1,000,000 in total cash prizes and $750,000 in total vouchers. Each winner will receive a cash prize of $100,000 and up to $75,000 in vouchers.
Go!
Up to 2
$500,000 in cash and up to $75,000 in vouchers per winner
The Ready! Set! and Go! Contests
It all starts with a big idea. Once a completed package has been submitted on HeroX, your video will be made public and you’ll become part of the Ready! Contest.
Ready! Contest 90 days / up to 20 winners / up to $50,000 cash Winners will be selected after identifying an impactful idea or solution addressing a critical need in the solar industry;
Set! Contest 90 days / up to 10 winners / up to $100,000 prize and up to $75,000 in vouchers Competitors will work to substantially advance their technology solution toward a viable and promising proof of concept.
Go! Contest 90 days / up to 2 winners / $500,000 prize and up to $75,000 in vouchers Competitors will work to substantially advance their solution from proof of concept to a refined prototype and find a partner to perform a pilot test of the prototype.
Demo Days Competitors in the Set! and Go! Contests pitch and demonstrate proof of concepts and prototypes to a judging panel and audience at two, live, in-person Demo Day events. Demo days are opportunities to meet competitors, connectors, power connectors, and other members of the American-Made Network. Demo Days culminate in the announcement of Set! and Go! prize winners.
Anyone can compete
Competitors are entrepreneurial individuals or teams, legally residing or based in the U.S., can compete including members of one or multiple organizations, students, university faculty members, small business owners, researchers, or anyone with the desire and drive to transform ideas into impactful realities.
Ready!, Set!, Go! Guidelines
The Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests will fast-track efforts to identify, develop, and test disruptive solutions to meet solar industry needs. Each stage will include a contest period when participants will work to rapidly advance their solutions. DOE invites anyone, individually or as a team, to compete to transform a conceptual solution into product reality.
The American-Made Solar Prize is a $3 million prize competition designed to revitalize U.S. solar manufacturing through a series of contests and the development of a diverse and powerful support network that leverages national laboratories, energy incubators, and other resources across the country. The American-Made Solar Prize is directed and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. Learn more.
Guidelines
Please review the official rules for the complete application process and instructions for competing.
If you want to receive updates on the prize or have any questions, please subscribe by using the contact feature on the HeroX platform or message us directly at
On Oct. 1, the NREL Solar Prize team hosted a Submission Tips and Tricks Webinar, where the prize administrators provided guidance and advice for completing a successful submission. If you missed the webinar or would like to see the presentation again, you can find a recording below.
During the webinar, Power Connector Carnegie Mellon University’s Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation shared how they are available to support participants with your submissions. The experts at the Scott Institute can help with the following:
Review question narrative responses
Articulate technical concepts and ideas
Connect you with Network members who can discuss partnership
Critique your project messaging and goals
Provide feedback on your 90-second video.
If you’d like to work with the experts at the Scott Institute on your Solar Prize Round 4 Ready! submission, .
Don’t forget—the deadline to compete in Round 4 is Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. ET!
If you’re thinking about submitting an idea to the Solar Prize Round 4, we highly recommend attending tomorrow’s Submission Tips & Tricks Webinar at 2 p.m. ET. This is your last opportunity to ask the prize administrators questions about preparing your submission in a live setting.
During this webinar, the prize administrators will provide pointers around the following topics:
Making your innovation stand out
Answering the submission questions
Building a solid team
Finding the right Connector support
Recording your video.
There will also be a Q&A session at the end of the webinar, so come prepared to ask any last-minute questions before uploading your submission.
Additionally, we will be joined by Power Connector Carnegie Mellon University’s Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, who is available to provide submission support. The Scott Institute can review your submission ahead of the deadline and provide useful feedback. If you’re interested in connecting with the experts at the Scott Institute for submission help, you can .
Find out what you need for a successful Solar Prize submission before the deadline next week—attend the Round 4 Submission Tips and Tricks Webinar tomorrow! Register here.
It’s not too late to register for tonight’s Movers & Makers: A Solar Innovation Networking Event happening from 6-8 p.m. ET! This virtual event, hosted by Power Connector Nation of Makers through the Remo platform, is open to all solar innovators and entrepreneurs looking to network with other industry professionals. We’ll be joined by recent winners of the Solar Prize, as well as others in the American-Made Network.
This is a great opportunity to connect with other industry professionals to share ideas, grow your Round 4 team, or get advice from past competitors ahead of the Oct. 8 submission due date. We hope you join the other movers and makers for this solar networking opportunity as part of the Solar Power International conference.
Calling all solar professionals! You’re invited to join the U.S. Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Laboratory on Thursday, Sept. 24, from 6-8 p.m. ET for a solar industry networking event as part of Solar Power International (SPI).
This virtual event, hosted by Power Connector Nation of Makers through the Remo platform, is open to all solar innovators and entrepreneurs looking to network with other industry professionals. We’ll be joined by recent winners of the Solar Prize, as well as others in the American-Made Network.
Whether you are an established entrepreneur or consider yourself to be an imaginative innovator, we hope you join the other movers and makers for this SPI networking opportunity! RSVP here.
Are you ready to participate in the Solar Prize Round 4 but need help getting started? Join the upcoming Submission Tips and Tricks Webinar, happening on Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. ET, where we’ll review what makes a successful submission. During this webinar, the prize administrators will provide pointers around the following topics:
Making your innovation stand out
Answering the submission questions
Building a solid team
Finding the right Connector support
Recording your video.
There will be a Q&A session at the end of the webinar, so come prepared to ask any last-minute questions before uploading your submission.
Additionally, we will be joined by Power Connector Carnegie Mellon University’s Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, who is available to provide submission support. The Scott Institute can review your submission ahead of the deadline and provide useful feedback.
Find out what you need for a successful Solar Prize submission—attend the Round 4 Submission Tips and Tricks Webinar on Oct. 1! Register here.
