Alongside the five scholarships valued at up to $100,000, Energy Creates gives every winner a trophy. This year, that trophy is yours to design. The chosen designer is awarded $7,000 CAD to produce the five statues handed out at the awards show.
The money covers both production and your time. If the five trophies cost you $1,000 to make, you keep the other $6,000. How you produce them is up to you. Here are the parameters:
- You must have a 3D printer or another means of producing the statues, with all five delivered by early August 2026.
- Cost of production for the five statues comes out of the $7,000 award prize. Energy Creates covers shipping.
- Statues should be between 10 and 12 inches tall, and sturdy. There is no weight requirement.
- Designs must incorporate the Energy Creates logo (the logo files are linked in the Dropbox shared with entrants).
- Give the award a name, like "an Oscar" or "the Pulitzer." The name does not have to appear on the trophy itself.
- Submit your proposal, including a design and a brief explanation of how you will produce it, to [email protected] by June 1, 2026.
In a live Q&A, founder Mathew Embry described what the team is looking for: symbolism and elegance. The trophy should capture the balanced energy conversation happening across the country, carry the glamour of a black-tie awards show, and be something a winner would proudly keep on a bookshelf for years.
A few answers from that session. You do not need to have entered the main scholarship contest to design the trophy. A drawing or a render is fine, you do not have to build the finished piece first. You can submit more than one design. A 3D printer is just one option, any means of producing the statues works.
On AI, Embry's philosophy is human first. Use it as a tool to push your idea further if you need to, but the design should come from you, not from a single prompt.
Winners of the five scholarships will be announced in early October, right before Thanksgiving, at the annual awards show.
Thank you, as always, for sharing your creativity, talent, and inspiration.
