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American-Made Challenges

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2025 Collegiate Wind Competition

Helping college students prepare for jobs in the wind and renewable energy workforce through real-world experiences.

This challenge is closed

Energy, Environment & Resources Science Technology
stage:
Enter
prize:
$280,000

This challenge is closed

Energy, Environment & Resources Science Technology
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Summary
Timeline
Updates6
Forum30
Teams729
Entries
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FAQ
Summary
Guidelines Overview

Guidelines

A team must comprise undergraduate students subject to the following guidelines:

  • Students may come from a mixture of 4-year colleges or universities in the United States and 2-year institutions, such as community colleges.
  • Students from international institutions are welcome to participate on a team but must partner and apply with a team of students from a domestic U.S. institution as the lead. International participants will not be eligible to receive cash prizes directly from DOE.
  • Phase 1 teams are not required to have a faculty advisor by the Phase 1 submission deadline; however, teams will need to engage a faculty advisor from a college or university in the United States to be eligible to compete in Phase 2.

Teams should strive to include a diverse range of academic disciplines, including but not limited to:

  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Marketing
  • Communications
  • Environmental and Public Policy
  • Social Sciences

Teams should also strive to include students from groups historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

 

Explore the CWC 2025 Phase 1 Rules and Requirements to learn more.

Contact us directly at Collegiate.Wind@nrel.gov with any additional questions. 

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Overview

The 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition

NOTE: The CWC 2025 competition cycle runs from March 2024 to May 2025. The CWC 2025 application period closed June 13, 2024. Keep an eye out for the CWC 2025 qualifying teams announcement!

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office launched the Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC) in 2014. The CWC helps multidisciplinary teams of undergraduate students prepare for jobs in wind and renewable energy through the following activities: 

  • The Turbine Prototype Contest & Turbine Testing Contest, in which teams design, build, and present a unique, wind-driven power system based on market research and test the wind turbine in an on-site wind tunnel. 
  • The Project Development Contest, in which teams research wind resource data, transmission infrastructure, and environmental factors to create a site plan and financial analysis for a hypothetical wind farm. 
  • The Connection Creation Contest, in which teams conduct outreach with the wind energy industry, their local communities, and local media outlets to raise wind energy awareness and promote their accomplishments. 

Join the CWC mailing list to receive updates on this competition. Visit the CWC news page for updates, alumni success stories, and other CWC news. 

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Timeline
Updates6

Challenge Updates

Rules Revision

Sept. 30, 2024, 8:52 a.m. PDT by Jason Roadman

The CWC2025 Phase 2 and 3 Rules and Requirements document has been updated.  Please see the table in the front of the document for details on the changes.  At this time, the document dated September 27, 2024 is now current.  It can be found at the same link in the Resources tab that you've been using to access the document to date.  Please don't hesitate to ask questions, should they come up.  Thank you!

CWC Midyear Milestones now due 12/19

Sept. 24, 2024, 1:55 p.m. PDT by Elise DeGeorge

We have pushed the midyear milestone date currently scheduled for 12/12 to 12/19 due to the delay in the Phase 2/3 rules release.  These apply to the following midyear submissions:
•Design progress and prototyping fabrication
•Prototype fabrication and testing video
•Preliminary Project Development report
•Team Story
•Outreach strategy report
 

The CWC 2025 Phase 2 & 3 Rules and Requirements Have Been Released

Sept. 19, 2024, 1:55 p.m. PDT by Jason Roadman

The CWC 25 phase 2 and 3 rules are now live on the resources page at the following link.  Our sincere apologies for the delay in their release.  We look forward to seeing what your teams come up with this year.  Please post any questions in the HeroX forum.

https://www.herox.com/collegiate-wind-competition-2025/resource/2044

 

Engagement Toolkits Now Available

Sept. 16, 2024, 3:26 p.m. PDT by Elise DeGeorge

CWC Phase 1 winners,  

The CWC25 engagement toolkits for use during the 2024/2025 academic year have been published.  You can find them under the Resources tab on HeroX:  https://www.herox.com/collegiate-wind-competition-2025/resources

We have created two different toolkits: one for student teams and one for industry partners.  Student teams, please use your toolkit to complete the outreach plan and execution portion of the Connection Creation Contest and share your team’s story through digital and traditional media. 

Please share the partner engagement toolkit with your industry partners so they can also amplify your success.  

Finally, please encourage your teammates to follow CWC25 on HeroX so they can receive all CWC updates: https://www.herox.com/collegiate-wind-competition-2025

Sincerely,

Your CWC Organizers

Thirty-Five Teams Qualify for 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition

Sept. 11, 2024, 1 p.m. PDT by NREL Challenges

Congratulations to the 35 teams that have qualified to participate in the 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC)!

During the first half of the 2024–2025 school year, these teams will begin developing a preliminary design and report for their model wind turbine and a preliminary site design for their hypothetical floating offshore wind farm. They’ll also conduct outreach, network with the wind energy industry, and compete for a spot in the final event, where they will present their work to expert judges and test their prototypes in a wind tunnel. 

By early 2025, the CWC organizers will narrow the competition to, at most, 12 finalist teams, which will be invited to continue to participate during the second half of the school year and present their work at the CWC 2025 final event. Selected teams, please keep your eyes out for an invite to our CWC 2025 kickoff call in early September!

Forum30
Teams729
Entries
Resources
FAQ