AlgaePrize Competition DEADLINE: March 2, 2022

Algae/Other Aquatic Organisms/Seaweed, Competitions, Contests, Education, Energy, Federal Agency/Executive Branch, Feedstocks

January 17, 2022

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(U.S. Department of Energy)Launched in January 2022, the AlgaePrize is a new competition from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) that encourages students to pursue innovative ideas for the development, design, and invention of technologies within the commercial algae value chain. Fast-growing and able to store energy from sunlight, algae can be transformed into a variety of products, such as fuel, food, fertilizer, industrial compounds, and animal feed.

BETO supports research and development (R&D) to lower the costs of producing algal biofuels—such as sustainable aviation fuels—and bioproducts. BETO is working to build the algae bioeconomy of the future, where fossil fuels could be replaced with a renewable, abundant, and flexible source of energy.

Through the AlgaePrize, BETO is committed to fostering a competition environment which values and celebrates the diversity of student’s ideas, cultures, and educational backgrounds. The AlgaePrize recognizes that a diversity of thought fosters a diversity of scientific ideas, which brings new and innovation solutions to addressing the nation’s bioenergy needs.

Though this challenge, students will gain real-world science, technology, engineering, and mathematics experience, helping to develop the next generation of bioenergy professionals.

Approach

The 2022–2023 AlgaePrize competition is open to teams of two or more students currently enrolled in a U.S.-based high school, community or technical college, college, university, or graduate program. To participate, teams must register by March 2, 2022, by 12 p.m. ET.

Student teams should focus their project on one of the following areas of interest:

What do we mean by “algae”? The AlgaePrize defines algae as microalgae (microscopic photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms and cyanobacteria) and macroalgae (seaweed), all of which are eligible target organisms for the competition.

a person in a lab looking at a vial of algae

1. Production

Cultivar enhancement 
Aquaculture engineering
Husbandry and productivity

2. Downstream Processing

Harvesting, dewatering, and processing
Development of biorefinery applications

3. Identification of Novel Products or Tools

New product development
Remote sensing and modeling
Ecological/environmental services

During the year-and-a-half-long challenge, student teams will work on creative solutions for real-world issues in the algae value chain. The competition culminates in an event where teams present their research to a panel of expert judges. Winning teams from the AlgaePrize competition’s areas of interest receive a trophy, prize money, and national recognition.

Media Kit

BETO provides contacts and resources to media and organizations interested in learning about and promoting the AlgaePrize. Visit the AlgaePrize Competition Media Kit to learn more.

Learn More

To view the full competition details—including eligibility, requirements, and timeline—visit the AlgaePrize Competition HeroX website.

For questions about the AlgaePrize, email AlgaePrize@ee.doe.gov. READ MORE

The AlgaePrize, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office and supported by The Algae Foundation and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), challenges students to become the next generation of bioeconomy professionals by expanding novel solutions to production, processing, and new product development on the way to gigaton-scale algae commercialization for fuel, food, products, and carbon dioxide utilization/sequestration.

Student teams competing in the AlgaePrize will range from high school through graduate programs. The competition will last 18 months. The AlgaePrize will assist in establishing the competitors as serious candidates for the next generation of bioeconomy positions and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Competitors will prepare creative solutions for real-world issues in the algae value chain. Students will compete to earn prize money and national recognition.

The three areas of interest for the AlgaePrize include both microalgae and macroalgae. Student teams should focus their project on one of the following areas of interest:

Production
Downstream Processing
Novel Products or Analytical Tools

This competition will award two separate rounds of prizes:

Research Synopsis Prize: The first stage of judging will result in up to 15 student teams being selected as AlgaePrize Finalists. Each finalist team will be awarded $5,000.
Final Awards: Finalist teams will present their research at the AlgaePrize Competition Event. The five top student teams will be selected as AlgaePrize winners. Each winning team will be awarded a $10,000 prize. The five winning teams will then present their research to a final panel of judges. These judges will select a single Grand Champion and award the Grand Champion an additional $5,000 grand prize.

The winning teams as well as the Grand Champion will be invited to participate in the Algae Biomass Summit in the Fall of 2023 to present their research and network with Summit participants from the national and international algae community.

Apply Now!

2022–2023 registrations close on March 2, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) READ MORE

The inaugural AlgaePrize—a competition that encourages students to pursue innovative ideas for the development, design, and invention of technologies within the commercial algae value chain—was announced on January 13, 2022. Are you interested in participating, but want to learn more? Or maybe you already have questions that you need answered.

Join the organizers behind the AlgaePrize for an office hours event on February 17, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. ET. This will be the first in a series of interactive office hours where participants can ask questions about the competition.

The office hours moderators include:

Algae Foundation President and Board Chair, Dr. Ira (Ike) Levine
Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) Advanced Algal Systems Program Technology Manager, Christy Sterner

Spring of Algae: The Algae Prize is born (Biofuels Digest)

Keep Your Eye on the Prize: The Digest’s 2022 Multi-Slide Guide to The Algae Prize (Biofuels Digest)

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