$50,000 Switch Global Energy Competition
- Organization: Switch Energy Alliance
- Type: Competition
- Location: Global
- Deadline: September 11, 2026
- Funding: Fully Funded
Switch Energy Alliance, a US energy education nonprofit, runs this virtual case competition for university students on the problem of energy poverty. Teams of three or four students pick one of five focus countries and build a ten-year plan to expand energy access there, working through four rounds between September and December with a professional mentor attached. Fifteen teams share a $50,000 prize pool, and the five finalists present live on Zoom on December 5. **What you get:** - A share of a $50,000 prize pool if your team finishes in the top 15: $12,500 for first, $10,000 for second, $7,000 for third, $5,000 for fourth, $3,000 for fifth, $1,500 each for sixth to tenth place and $1,000 each for eleventh to fifteenth - A professional energy-industry mentor assigned to your team, giving roughly 30 minutes a week of direction - A learning series taught by named academics and executives, open to every registered participant and recorded for anyone who cannot attend live - Written feedback on your Round 1 submission, delivered through The Grid - The chance to apply for an internship with Switch Energy Alliance, which the registration form offers to top teams - Access to The Grid, the organisation's online hub, where case materials, announcements and teammate matching all live **What you'll do:** - Register a team of three or four university students and choose one of five focus countries facing energy poverty - Round 1, due September 27: submit your country selection and a three to five page energy analysis brief - Round 2, due October 25: submit a five to eight page ten-year plan and budget, scored by judges on a six-dimension rubric, with the top 25 teams advancing as semifinalists - Round 3, due November 15: submit a twelve minute video and a PDF slide deck, with the top five teams advancing as finalists - Round 4, December 5: give a ten minute live presentation and take ten minutes of questions on Zoom, with winners announced live **Key dates:** - Registration closes September 11, 2026 - Competition begins and the case packet is released September 14, 2026 - Kickoff event and live question session September 15, 2026 - Round 1 due September 27, 2026 - Round 1 results announced October 1, 2026 - Round 2 due October 25, 2026 - Semifinalists announced November 5, 2026 - Round 3 due November 15, 2026 - Finalists announced November 25, 2026 - Live finals December 5, 2026, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM US Central Time **More information:** - All submission deadlines are 11:59 PM US Central Time on the date shown, CDT through October and CST from November - The competition is conducted in English, and the organisers say teams still building confidence in English are welcome - Everything runs on The Grid at switchedu.org, and every team member has to create an account there - Questions go to Zach Carr at zach.carr@switchon.org - Energy professionals can volunteer as mentors or judges through a separate form
