Calling the Next Generation of Sustainable Building Professionals—Solar Decathlon Announces 2024 Design Challenge
Thursday, June 22, 2023
Solar Decathlon 2023 Design Challenge teams showcase models of their sustainable building designs during the Competition Event at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Photo by Vern Slocum, NREL.
Are you a collegiate student interested in transforming buildings to serve communities and the planet? The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® is seeking student participants from diverse majors to join the next round of the zero-energy building design competition.
The Design Challenge is an annual design competition challenging interdisciplinary teams of collegiate students to create high-performance, low-carbon building designs that address real-world issues related to climate resilience, affordability, and environmental justice.
Students from collegiate institutions in the United States and around the world are encouraged to form interdisciplinary teams and register! Mark your calendars for upcoming key dates, listed below.
- August 2023: Team registration opens.
- October 2023: Team registration closes.
- February 2024: Students present their preliminary designs to industry expert jurors at a virtual semifinal competition event.
- April 2024: Selected finalist teams compete in person or virtually at the competition event.
About the Solar Decathlon
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition that prepares the next generation of building professionals to design and build high-performance, low-carbon buildings powered by renewables. The Design Challenge is a one- to two-semester, design-only competition.
The Solar Decathlon has challenged more than 25,000 students to create efficient, affordable buildings powered by renewables, while promoting student innovation, STEM education, and workforce development opportunities in the buildings industry.
Additional details are available on the Solar Decathlon website.