Dow launches solar home design competition with $35,000 in prizes

The Dow Chemical Co. has launched an international student design competition focused on creating near-zero housing structures using both passive and active solar technologies. Registration for the Dow Chemical Company Solar Design Competition opens in August, and the top three entries will receive cash prizes of $20,000, $10,000, and $5,000 at a ceremony in early 2012.

The competition is open to students from across the globe and calls for the design of a building comprising three connected dwellings. Each of the dwellings must use active and passive solar technologies to achieve near-zero energy solutions.

The competition will be an entirely peer-reviewed online, allowing participants to interact via individual Web pages and requiring each contestant to judge submissions against predetermined criteria.

For more information, visit: www.dow.com/competition.