PROSPECT Planning Prize

Enabling leading academic institutions in the U.S. to develop strategies that rapidly expand the critical minerals and materials workforce.

分類：Education、Energy, Environment & Resources、Engineering

階段：Enter

獎金總額：$16,000,000

Summary

Challenge Overview

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation is launching the Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies (PROSPECT) Planning Prize. This prize supports academic institutions in developing the skilled workforce needed for the domestic production, processing, recovery, and recycling of critical minerals.

The United States is entering a new era of domestic critical minerals and materials development. Securing resilient domestic supply chains requires not only new mines, processing facilities, manufacturing capacity, and recycling infrastructure, but also a new generation of engineers, scientists, technicians, and skilled professionals prepared to build and sustain them.

This $16 million prize challenges U.S.-based academic institutions with eligible mining engineering programs to submit plans for novel programs aimed at substantially increasing the number of graduates and other credentialed professionals prepared for relevant mining and supply chain fields by the end of the 2028 calendar year.

Competing academic institutions will submit plans that will create pathways for job placement upon graduation or program completion. DOE anticipates making up to 16 awards of $1 million each to winning schools.

Background

This prize is a part of DOE's broader PROSPECT initiative, which aims to restore U.S. energy dominance, rebuild domestic supply chains, and reduce reliance on foreign adversaries for the materials that power modern energy, manufacturing, and defense technologies.

The PROSPECT Planning Prize is funded by DOE's Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation. The prize is managed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies under the American-Made program.

Prize Timeline

View the official prize timeline for the most current dates and deadlines. All dates are subject to change, including challenge openings, deadlines, and announcements.

Guidelines

Click on the "Follow Challenge" button at the top of this page to receive the latest prize updates. If you have questions, please use the contact feature on the HeroX platform or message us directly at PROSPECTprize@nlr.gov.

For full eligibility requirements, please read the official rules.

View legal agreement

Updates

Now Open: The PROSPECT Planning Prize

Sept. 15, 2026, 8 a.m. PDT by NLR Prize Administrator

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation recently launched the Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies (PROSPECT) Planning Prize. This prize offers eligible U.S. academic institutions the chance to win $1 million for creating plans to rapidly execute new programs aimed at developing the skilled workforce needed for the domestic production, processing, recovery, and recycling of critical minerals by the end of the 2028 calendar year.

Why critical minerals? Why now?

The United States is entering a new era of domestic critical minerals and materials development for advancing energy technologies and national security. Securing resilient domestic supply chains requires not only new mines, processing facilities, manufacturing capacity, recycling infrastructure, and energy technologies, but also a new generation of engineers, scientists, technicians, skilled professionals, educators, and business and policy leaders prepared to build and sustain them.

Declining enrollment and program consolidation, shortages of faculty and instructors, constrained teaching and laboratory capacity, outdated equipment, limited access to work-based learning, and low awareness of modern careers restrict the workforce pipeline.

So, how does the PROSPECT Planning Prize address these challenges?

Addressing these constraints requires connected pathways for students in mining and other disciplines, community college and high school students, early-career professionals, incumbent workers, and educators; flexible education and training options; curricula aligned with current technology and U.S. industry practice; practical experiences; and collaboration among universities, U.S. industry, national laboratories, schools, workforce organizations, and communities.

Ultimately, the PROSPECT Planning Prize aims to strengthen the nation's educational capacity and develop a domestic talent pipeline across the critical minerals and materials value chain.

The prize offers a total of $16 million, with $1 million going to each of up to 16 winning institutions. Applications are now open until Oct. 5 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Ready to get started? Review the prize rules and watch the PROSPECT Prize informational webinar recording.

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