Last Call: Submit Your Photos By May 23 For A Chance To Win Up To $2,500!

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) is in search of the best photos of solar energy with the American-Made Solar Photo Competition: Hit Me with Your Sun Shot. Solar energy plays an important role in powering the country’s future and achieving a zero-carbon energy supply. SETO is launching this photo competition to bring attention to and document solar energy’s importance in the clean energy transition. Winners of the competition can earn up to $2,500 for a photo in one of the eight categories.

Overview

We’re looking for your photos in the following categories:

• Solar and Weather (Weather) — Capturing the interplay between solar technologies and various weather conditions.
• Solar Workforce and Installation (Workforce) — Showcasing members of the solar workforce and individuals and teams behind solar installations.
• Concentrating Solar-thermal Power (CSP) — Showing CSP systems, their mechanisms, and the innovations of this solar sector.
• Research Processes, Solar Technologies in Detail, and Manufacturing (Research-Manufacturing) — Highlighting the research, development, and manufacturing processes behind cutting-edge solar technologies.
• Utility-Scale, Commercial Solar, and Grid Integration (Utility-Scale) — Showcasing large-scale solar installations, including those visibly integrated into utility grids.
• Community Solar/Multifamily Housing (Community) — Capturing the role solar plays in community sustainability through shared solar initiatives and solar-integrated multifamily housing.
• Residential Solar (Residential) — Capturing solar installations of residential properties.
• Agriculture and Solar, Solar in Nature, Solar and Wildlife (Nature) — Showcasing the coexistence of agriculture and solar power and/or how solar projects interact with local wildlife.

All photos must be submitted through the HeroX website as zip files using this file naming convention: PhotoTitle_LastName_CategoryAbbreviation (Example: PVandWildflowers_Smith_Nature)

All professional and amateur photographers are encouraged to enter the competition. All photos must be taken within the United States or U.S. territories.

Submissions will be judged based on emotional appeal and impact, composition, content, technical quality, and originality. Each category will have two awards: one winner and one runner-up. There will also be two overall grand prize winners and SETO will recognize up to 200 honorable mentions. The following amounts will be awarded to each winner:

• Grand Prize: $2,500
• Category Winner: $1,000
• Category Runner-Up: $500

Timeline

• The competition launched on March 5, 2024.
• Submissions are due May 23, 2024 at 5 p.m. ET.
• SETO expects to announce winners in June 2024.

More Information

• Read the official prize rules.
• View the recording and download the slides (PDF) from the informational webinar.
• For questions about the Solar Photo Competition, email solarphoto@nrel.gov.
• Learn about other American-Made Challenges in the Solar Energy Technologies Office.
• Check out the winning submissions from the 2017 photo contest.

News item from U.S. DOE.