Energy and climate-technology startups can apply for the SET Award 2027, an international competition powered by the German Energy Agency, dena. Category winners can receive up to €10,000 in equity-free prize money, while shortlisted companies gain visibility within the energy-transition sector.
Applicants should act early because the organiser’s published dates differ. The competition webpage says November 30, 2026, but the official terms specify November 29, 2026, at 23:59:59 CET. Plan to meet the earlier deadline unless dena confirms otherwise.
Check whether your company fits
The current webpage requires companies to have been founded in August 2016 or later and to be registered or undergoing registration. Applicants need more than an idea: a proof of concept and evidence of a client or relevant partner, or a functioning prototype, are expected. Hardware solutions should generally have reached technology readiness level four or above.
Applications and supporting documents must be in English. Each company can enter only one category.
Choose the category around the customer problem
The five categories cover clean energy and storage; digital energy, markets and economy; buildings and construction; industry and value chains; and mobility and transportation. The official submission portal explains the scope of each.
Independent Opportunities Feed guidance: The following planning suggestions are not additional competition rules.
For preparation, start with the customer who would buy or deploy the solution. An industrial heat technology and a household energy-management platform may both cut emissions, but they face different purchasing decisions, implementation barriers and measures of success. Choose the category where the central use case is easiest to understand.
Build the application around a small number of defensible claims. Explain what has been demonstrated, under which conditions, and how performance compares with the existing approach. Keep projected results separate from observed results. If savings depend on a particular electricity mix, usage pattern or installation size, make that assumption visible.
Understand the prize and submission requirements
The terms set a maximum €10,000 cash prize per category, split equally if applicants tie for the highest score. They also require a complete application, an English PDF pitch deck of no more than 15 slides, and a high-resolution company logo.
Use those slides efficiently: define the problem, show the technology, explain customer demand and set out the next commercial milestone. Clear labels on charts and evidence matter more than dense slides. Ensure every numerical claim matches the written application.
Explain a measurable energy outcome
A useful internal exercise is to write one claim in three parts: the starting situation, the measured change and the conditions under which the result was achieved. This helps a reader understand whether an improvement can be compared fairly with another approach.
For a hypothetical example, a device using 8 units of electricity instead of 10 for the same task would represent a 20% reduction in that test. It would not establish a 20% saving for every customer, climate or operating pattern. Explain the test boundary and avoid presenting a laboratory result as a guaranteed field outcome.
Think about the next deployment barrier as carefully as the technology. A prospective customer may need installation time, maintenance support, staff training or a clear route to procurement. Describe which barrier is most important for your venture and what evidence would show that you had reduced it. Keep the proposed next milestone specific enough to review.
Apply through the official portal and save the confirmation of receipt. Review the terms before submitting, including publication and usage provisions. The deadline discrepancy is a reason to leave a buffer, not a reason to assume that the later date overrides the formal conditions.
