Make A Splash Photo and Video Contest

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) created the Make A Splash Photo and Video Contest to recognize and document the latest advancements in water power technologies, research and development activities, and infrastructure. The contest also seeks to capture the beauty of the landscapes, people, and communities rooted in water power. By participating in this contest, competitors can help WPTO raise awareness around hydropower and marine energy’s potential to contribute to a carbon-free power grid.

The Make A Splash Photo and Video Contest invites photographers and videographers at all proficiency levels to capture photos and videos of water power that transport viewers and showcase the scope and potential of water power as a renewable energy. Contest winners will be awarded up to $2,000 for a photo or video in one of nine categories.

Important Dates

• Contest Opens: August 9, 2023
• Submissions Due: November 17, 2023
• Winner Announcement: January 2024

*all dates are anticipated and subject to change

Application Requirements

Prize Structure

27 prizes will be awarded from a cash prize pool of $31,500. There will be three awards per category—grand prize, second place, and third place—and the following amounts will be awarded to each winner:

• Grand Prize: $2,000
• Second Place: $1,000
• Third Place: $500

Entrants may submit up to 20 photos (total) in the following six photo categories:

• Conventional Hydropower and Pumped Storage
  • Photos of hydropower facilities or technologies that use a dam or structure to create a difference in elevation and a turbine to convert falling water’s potential energy into electricity. Pumped storage hydropower is also of interest, which is a technology that generates and stores electricity by moving water between two reservoirs at different elevations.
• Small, Distributed, or Low Impact Hydropower
  • Photos of facilities or technologies related to small, community-scale, distributed, run-of-river, or conduit hydropower (uses either a turbine to convert the potential energy of falling water or a pressure differential, like a pressurized pipe, to generate electricity). This category also welcomes images of technologies that may help hydropower facilities achieve low-impact hydropower certification, such as fish passage technologies or water quality monitoring systems.
• Marine Energy
  • Photos showing marine energy technologies, including technologies that generate power from waves, tides, and river and ocean currents; ocean thermal energy technologies; or salinity gradient technologies. Photos submitted should show technologies either in a lab setting, near water in a pre-deployment stage, or in water during deployment/testing. Schematics or computer-generated designs will not be considered.
• Powering the Blue Economy™
  • Photos of subjects and settings related to the various areas of the Powering the Blue Economy Initiative, which focuses on the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems. As an example, photos could feature offshore aquaculture farms, marine transportation, desalination systems, or ocean observing equipment.
• Faces of Water Power
  • Photos showing the people behind water power technologies, such as professionals employed by the water power sector—e.g., plant operators, maintenance professionals, and researchers—whether in a lab setting or in the field. This category also welcomes photos of students learning or educators teaching about water power.
• Communities Powered by Water
  • Photos of different communities or individuals that rely on water as a power source. We want to see photos of the people benefitting from water power—from big cities to rural towns and coastal communities—and learn what water power means to them!

Entrants may submit up to six videos (total) in the following three video categories:

• Clip or Timelapse: Marine Energy
  • A 30-second or less video or timelapse (which increases frame rate to reveal the evolution of a series of events) showing marine renewable energy technologies in context. We want to see time pass around this technology through the dynamic movement of the water while the technology anchors the image. Footage in an outdoor/open-water setting (such as in a river or in the ocean) as well as in an indoor setting (such as in a wave tank or flume) is acceptable.
• Clip or Timelapse: Hydropower
  • A 30-second or less video or timelapse showing hydropower technologies in context. We want to see time pass around this technology through the dynamic movement of the water while the technology anchors the image. Footage in an outdoor/open-water setting (such as in a river or in a reservoir) as well as in an indoor setting (such as in a wave tank or flume) is acceptable.
• Clip or Timelapse: Faces of Water Power
  • A 30-second or less video or timelapse showing the people behind water power technologies. This includes clips or timelapse videos of professionals employed by the water power sector—such as plant operators, maintenance professionals, and researchers—whether in a lab setting or in the field. This category also welcomes clips or timelapses of students learning or educators teaching about water power.

* All photos and videos must be taken within the United States or U.S. Territories or be of U.S. technology in non-U.S. territory.

Eligibility Criteria

The competition is open to all amateur and professional photographers and videographers. For more information about eligibility and submission requirements, please review the official prize rules.