The American-Made Upskill Prize for the Solar Manufacturing Workforce (Upskill Prize) is a $5 million prize designed to accelerate the expansion of the U.S. solar manufacturing workforce and equip workers with the skills necessary to revitalize the domestic solar manufacturing supply chain. This prize targets various facets of the U.S. solar photovoltaics (PV) module supply chain, addressing critical workforce needs.  Competing teams propose comprehensive workforce training plans that are composed of either (or both) new worker training or incumbent worker training.

The AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge is a global $100 million initiative from the Bezos Earth Fund. The Grand Challenge is exploring new ideas for multiplying the impact of climate and nature efforts using modern AI. The first round of awards will focus on sustainable proteins, power grid optimization, and biodiversity conservation, in addition to embracing visionary wildcard solutions for climate and nature. The Bezos Earth Fund will determine the final slate of Seed Grantees who will be invited to participate in Phase 2.

With the Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize, teams of creative individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses will advance conceptual solutions to prototypes and finally to pilot validations to address challenges with the lithium-ion battery recycling supply chain. This new public contest aims to incentivize new submissions from battery industry entrepreneurs that demonstrate innovative solutions that work toward or deliver on the goal of the prize, while continuing to support the further development of Phase III winning solutions. This phase consists of two simultaneous competition tracks:

• Track 1: New Competitors —Legal business entities based in the United States with single process ideas, partial solutions or full concept solutions that enable or meet the prize goal. Track 1 is open to new participants and previous competitors of the Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize. A single business entity may participate as a new competitor, or teams may be comprised of multiple businesses.
• Track 2: Verified Competitors — Phase III winners are invited to further develop their concept solutions with the added support of a $100,000 noncash voucher to be spent at a Voucher Service Provider within the American-Made Network. Voucher work must support the continued validation and demonstration of their Phase III pilot-scale solutions.

The three-phase $2.25 million Silicon Carbide (SiC) Packaging Prize—launched by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Electricity—invites competitors to propose, design, build, and test state-of-the-art SiC packaging prototypes that move the industry beyond its current state. Competitors will describe their team, their plan to make progress toward SiC packaging, showcase their current prototypes, and provide evidence of their current metrics that are in alignment with the goals of the prize. The goal of this phase is to develop a set of design documents for a Phase 2 prototype which adheres to the requirements set.

The MSI Contract Readiness Prize is a one-phase capacity building prize that aims to boost equity across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) contracting for small, medium, and large Historically Black Colleges (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), including Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). This prize builds on the successes of the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative that is working toward environmental justice for all Americans by involving MSIs as key strategic partners.

The Electronics Scrap Recycling Advancement Prize (E-SCRAP) is a $3.95M challenge sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO). The prize aims to stimulate innovative approaches that reduce the costs and environmental impact of critical material recovery from electronic scrap (e-scrap).

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.

The $2.1 million TCF Open Voucher Call will help facilitate the commercialization of scientific discoveries by helping to identify pathways by which technological breakthroughs can make their way to market. Although a variety of technologies will be considered, applicants are encouraged to leverage the capabilities and initiatives of the National Laboratories when developing their ideas so they can further develop their technology alongside the National Lab. Successful applicants will receive vouchers—valid for testing and validation, use of specialized equipment or software, simulation or modeling, consulting, or various other requests from a National Laboratory—which will ultimately allow them to advance their technologies. In this way, the call will foster a culture of curiosity and collaboration while bridging the gap between scientific expertise and public engagement.

As new renewable energy technologies are developed and integrated into the electric grid, there continues to be new areas of opportunity and challenges that must be addressed. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Electricity (OE) invites graduate students, researchers, industry partners, and key stakeholders to apply for the American-Made Science Synthesis Prize: Identifying Key Barriers to Renewable Integration. Through this $125,000 prize, applicants are tasked with thoroughly analyzing the landscape of the renewable energy integration theory and practice and challenged to highlight pivotal opportunities, solutions, and areas of investment for addressing integration complications.

The goal of the prize is to encourage citizens and organizations from all over the world for their great contribution to solving important humanitarian problems. One of the Focus Areas is:

• Ecology and Sustainable Development
  • Рrojects in the field of environmental protection, environmental education, environmental consumption, green economy and technology.

The Kacie Peters Impact Award is a prestigious recognition established to honor the memory of Kacie Peters, a passionate advocate for clean energy and sustainability. This award aims to acknowledge individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the clean energy sector, embodying the values and dedication that Kacie Peters exemplified throughout her life. The winner of the Kacie Peters Impact Award will receive recognition and a physical award during the annual WRISE Leadership Forum.