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American-Made Challenges

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2024 Geothermal Collegiate Competition

College students: Compete to solve real-world geothermal technical and policy challenges for a chance at thousands in DOE prize funding!

This challenge is closed

Education Energy, Environment & Resources Engineering
stage:
Judging
prize:
$10,000

This challenge is closed

Education Energy, Environment & Resources Engineering
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Summary
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Summary
Overview Guidelines

Overview

Welcome to the 2024 Geothermal Collegiate Competition (GCC)! Stay up to date on competition announcements and details by selecting the "Follow" button at the top of the page. 

  • Through the Geothermal Collegiate Competition, the U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) encourages students to develop innovative solutions for geothermal energy application challenges and build career skills for the clean energy workforce. 
  • 2024 GCC prizes and awards include:
    • 1st place (for each track): $10,000
    • 2nd place (for each track): $6,000
    • 3rd place (for each track): $2,000
    • Bonus for outstanding submission from a team of all Tribal college and/or community college students: $2,000
    • Honorable mention for best informative graphic: recognition on social media and announcements
    • Honorable mention for best video: recognition on social media and announcements

A team may receive the bonus prize or an honorable mention either separately from or in addition to other awards. To get details on submission material content and evaluation criteria, read the rules.

Registration closed on October 7, 2024. 

Teams must have at least three undergraduate and/or graduate members (can be from multiple schools), and students of any discipline can participate. Final competition deliverables are due on December 20, 2024.

There are two competition tracks: Technical and Policy.

  • Technical Track teams will perform a resource assessment and design a geothermal heating and cooling system for a community of their choosing. The design can also include other renewable energy technologies and/or storage.
  • Policy Track teams will present a high-level idea for a geothermal heating and cooling system in a community or campus, focused on an analysis of the regulatory environment, economic assessment, and workforce development analysis. 

Guidelines

Read the 2024 rules for details.

Specifics to note:

  • This competition is open for undergraduate and/or graduate students pursuing any major or minor. 
  • The Geothermal Collegiate Competition invites participation by teams of at least three students enrolled in accredited U.S.-based collegiate institutions or U.S. citizens enrolled at non-U.S. based collegiate institutions. In this case, “collegiate institution” refers to any school of post-secondary or higher education, including but not limited to community colleges, technical colleges, and traditional four-year and graduate-level universities. See “Who Can Enter” in the rules for more information. 
  • There is no cost to register or participate.
  • Additional details are available on the Geothermal Collegiate Competition webpage.

If you want to receive updates, use the "Follow" feature on this page. For questions, email .

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Timeline
Updates19

Challenge Updates

Deadline Extended!

Dec. 20, 2024, 2:34 p.m. PST by NREL Prize Moderator

Due to technical difficulties, the final submission deadline has been extended to 1:59 a.m. ET tomorrow (Dec. 21), which is 10:59 p.m. PT today (Dec. 20).  

Submit deliverables through HeroX. If you have already submitted but want to update your submission before the deadline, you can upload new documents.

For questions, email . If you are having technical issues with HeroX and want to ensure you meet the deadline, consider attaching deliverables to your email. 

Last Day to Submit Deliverables!

Dec. 20, 2024, 5 a.m. PST by NREL Prize Moderator

Submit deliverables by today at 5 p.m. ET through HeroX to compete for cash prizes and awards.

Tip: Before submitting, ensure your deliverables follow the guidelines in the rules.

We can’t wait to see your geothermal solutions!

Questions? Email . 

Deliverables Due This Friday!

Dec. 16, 2024, 5 a.m. PST by NREL Prize Moderator

Submit deliverables by Friday, Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. ET to be considered for $38,000 in cash prizes. Be sure to:

  • Submit through HeroX. The final submission form is now open.
  • Follow the guidelines for deliverables outlined in the rules.

For questions, email or book a 15-minute session with a competition organizer. 

Deliverables Due in Two Weeks!

Dec. 6, 2024, 5 a.m. PST by NREL Prize Moderator

Submit your final deliverables by Friday, Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. ET through HeroX for the chance to win cash prizes and national recognition!

To set your team up for success, follow the detailed guidelines in the rules for deliverables, including page limits.

Questions? Email or book a 15-minute session with a competition organizer. 

Join optional webinar tomorrow, Dec. 3, on new DOE resource GeoBridge

Dec. 2, 2024, 10:24 a.m. PST by GCC Prize Moderator

DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Office and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently launched a new web portal—GeoBridge—that provides easy access to information on a wide range of geothermal topics, covering everything from home geothermal heat pump (GHP) installation to careers in geothermal, educational tools, and cost savings opportunities for businesses. 

Get connected to geothermal circles, find geothermal degree programs, identify startup opportunities, and more by visiting GeoBridge or joining the launch webinar on Dec. 3 at 12 p.m. ET. Register today!

Forum
Teams636
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FAQ