The annual Junior Solar Sprint is a statewide challenge of ingenuity, engineering, and speed for students in grades five through eight.

2024 Junior Solar Sprint

Registration is now open for the 2024 Junior Solar Sprint.

The 2024 Junior Solar Sprint will take place Thursday, April 18, 2024 on the campus of Delaware State University in Dover.

The Junior Solar Sprint is part of a national competition where students build and race solar-powered model cars. It is co-sponsored in Delaware by the DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy and the Delaware Technology Student Association (TSA).

Middle school students work with classmates and teacher advisors over several months to build model cars powered by solar photovoltaic cells, better known as solar panels. DNREC provides two starter Junior Solar Sprint kits to each participating school. Each kit includes a solar panel, an electric motor, and guidelines.

To participate, fill out the registration form and return it to jamesw.lee@delaware.gov. The deadline to register is Friday, January 12, 2024.

Download the Junior Solar Sprint Guidelines for complete rules on the competition.

2023 Junior Solar Sprint

A team from Cab Calloway School of the Arts — Viraj Mehta and Chetan Kasukurthi — was crowned overall champion of the 2023 Junior Solar Sprint competition held on the campus of Delaware State University on April 19, 2023.

Schools participating in the 2023 event included Las Americas ASPIRA Academy, Cab Calloway Middle School, Las Americas ASPIRA Academy, Gauger-Cobbs Middle School, Holy Cross School and May B. Leasure Elementary School.

The 2023 competition was the first since 2019 to be held live. The Junior Solar Sprint was canceled due to the COVID pandemic in 2020 and was held virtually in 2021 and 2022.

The 2023 competition was also the first held on the DSU campus.

Competition Results

The all-around winners for combined speed, design and portfolio presentations

First place: Team #2 – Viraj Mehta and Chetan Kasukurthi from Cab Calloway School of the Arts

Second place: Team #5 – Jha’san Clark and Daniel Coleman from Gauger-Cobbs Middle School

Third place: Team #6 – Veronica Morales-Garcia and Len Ojeda from Las Americas ASPIRA Academy

Top results from the double-elimination races

First place: Team #2 – Viraj Mehta and Chetan Kasukurthi from Cab Calloway School of the Arts

Second place: Team #9 – Vishal Karthikeyan and Vedic Mukherjee from Cab Calloway School of the Arts

Third place: Team #7 – Andrew Russom, Favor Chucks, Lillian Poliquin, and Seyram Tackey from Holy Cross School

Top results from the design competition

First place: Team #5 – Jha’san Clark and Daniel Coleman from Gauger-Cobbs Middle School

Second place: Team #2 – Viraj Mehta and Chetan Kasukurthi from Cab Calloway School of the Arts

Third place: Team #6 – Veronica Morales-Garcia and Len Ojeda from Las Americas ASPIRA Academy

Top results from the portfolio competition

First place: Team #5 – Jha’san Clark and Daniel Coleman from Gauger-Cobbs Middle School

Second place: Team #2 – Viraj Mehta and Chetan Kasukurthi from Cab Calloway School of the Arts

Third place: Team #4 – Johnathan Cruz and Sean Andrews from Las Americas ASPIRA Academy

A Delaware Tradition

Junior Solar Sprint has been a Delaware tradition for more than two decades. It encourages students to get creative and apply real-world problem-solving in a fun and educational atmosphere. And it fosters teamwork and student interest in the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Junior Solar Sprint presents a hands-on, multidisciplinary exercise in renewable energy education. It encourages teamwork and fosters interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Students flex their creative ingenuity and apply real-world problem-solving in a fun and educational atmosphere.

Related Topics:  education, energy, renewable energy, solar, student