Get Involved
Want to be a part of the AlgaePrize Competition? Here are all the ways you can get involved:
Compete in a student team
Advise a student team
Volunteer as a judge*
Volunteer at the AlgaePrize Competition Event*
*Participation is subject to approval
If you are interested in participating in the competition, please contact us at algaeprize@thealgaefoundation.org
The Algae Foundation
The Algae Foundation sees a future that embraces algae as an essential solution for a sustainable and healthy planet. Our mission is to create that future through education, mentoring, and public outreach and engagement
Products made from algae are the natural solution to the energy, food, economic, and climate challenges facing our world today. Algae have the power to simultaneously put fuel in our vehicles, recycle carbon dioxide, provide nutrition for animals and humans, and create jobs for millions of Americans.
the AlgaePrize Competition?
The AlgaePrize, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office and managed by the Algae Foundation and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 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, feed, products, and carbon dioxide utilization/sequestration.
Competitors compete to earn prize money and national recognition by developing creative solutions for real-world issues in the algae value chain.
The competition spans two academic years and establishes competitors as serious candidates for the next generation of bioeconomy positions and opportunities.
Areas of Interest
Production
Downstream Processing
Novel Products, Analytical Tools, or Ecosystem Services
Prize Structure
Research Synopsis Prize: In the first stage of judging, up to 15 student teams are selected as AlgaePrize Finalists based on their 10-page research applications. Each finalist team is awarded prize funds to support their research.
Final Awards: Finalist teams present their research at the AlgaePrize Competition Event, where the top five student teams are selected as AlgaePrize Champions. Each champion team receives additional prize funds. These five teams then present their research to a final panel of judges, who selects one Grand Champion team to be awarded an additional grand prize.
Who is Eligible?
Teams of at least two student members enrolled in a U.S.-based educational institution (high school, accredited community college, college, university and/or graduate school).
Students must be enrolled in at least one class and actively pursuing a degree or diploma when joining a team.
Teams with students from multiple educational institutions are allowed, and multiple teams from the same educational institution are allowed.
Each team must have a faculty advisor employed by a U.S.-based educational institution to provide input, guidance, and support.
