American-Made Solar Photo Competition: Hit Me with Your Sun Shot

Wildflower field with solar panels. Camera taking photo of that.

DOE announced the winners of the American-Made Solar Photo Competition: Hit Me with Your Sun Shot on August 21, 2024. Find the winners and other submissions in our Flickr Album(link is external).

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

Overview

SETO sought 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 have been taken within the United States or U.S. territories.

Submissions were judged based on emotional appeal and impact, composition, content, technical quality, and originality. Each category had two awards: one winner and one runner-up. There were also two overall grand prize winners and SETO recognized several honorable mentions. The following amounts were 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 were due May 23, 2024. 
  • SETO announced winners on August 21, 2024.

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