“Power the Community” International Design Competition 2025-2026

About the Competition

Energy Mentors, along with Founding Sponsors EY, Aspen Technology, and Chart Industries, Inc., and Software Sponsor MathWorks, invites college students globally to join the "Power the Community" International College Design Competition. Your task is to design the energy infrastructure for a community of 2,000 families, each supported by the combined salaries of a nurse and a schoolteacher. The design must be affordable, reliable, and sustainable, aiming to enhance community lives with clean, safe, and efficient energy access.

Submission deadline: April 15, 2027. The winning team receives a US$10,000 grand prize and the chance to showcase their design to industry experts. The total prize pool is US$31,000, rewarding the best submissions.

Eligibility

• Teams may form ad hoc and need not be officially sponsored by a university, though sponsorship is welcome.
• Each team should have a team name and indicate their location (e.g., university).
• Teams can decide the number of teammates, who may include undergraduate students, graduate students, and non-degree candidates.
• Teams may draw on knowledge and advice from any resources, but faculty and working professionals should not directly produce results or deliverables.
• Participation is open to single participants as well as teams. College students, grad students, and graduates are all welcome.

Responsibilities

• Design the energy infrastructure for a community of 2,000 families with affordability, reliability, and sustainability as core principles.
• Submit project deliverables by the deadline (April 15, 2027).
• Ensure the design leverages components available for purchase today (e.g., photovoltaic solar roofing tiles, cryogenic iso containers filled with LNG).
• Consider real-world conditions, including nearby populations and economic activity, in your design.
• Create a pitch video in English or with English subtitles to present your design.

Prizes

• Grand prize: US$10,000 for the winning team.
• Total prize pool: US$31,000, with remaining funds awarded to Distinguished Designs at the judges' discretion.
• Additional sponsors may increase the prize pool, with 100% of funds awarded to students.

Judging

• Judges will be of diverse professional capabilities and will evaluate designs based on innovation, feasibility, and impact.
• If 12 or more teams enter, the competition may be broken into preliminary rounds (e.g., by region, country, or continent).
• A minimum of 10 and a maximum of 12 entries will advance to the finals.
• Results are final, with no appeal process.

Key Dates

• Team registration deadline: March 15, 2027.
• Project submission deadline: April 15, 2027.

FAQ Highlights

• Prize Payments: Made directly to registered team participants after verifying eligibility, identity, and banking information. Processing may take up to 30 days.
• Team Changes: Team members can be changed up to the submission deadline. Awards will be allocated equally among documented members at submission.
• Intellectual Property: Teams are encouraged to consult legal counsel for IP protection before submission.
• Community Design: Teams may include economic activity, retail, and services within the community or nearby, depending on their design approach.
• Submission Requirements: Deliverables will be detailed on the competition website. Registered teams will receive a submission link in January 2027.
• Support: Queries can be sent to info@energymentors.org. Replies will be posted publicly for all teams.