EmPower Silicon Valley Annual Scholarship Competition

Our climate is changing, but a clean energy future is on the horizon. By working together, we can help ensure that our future is a clean and climate-friendly one. We’re gathering student stories to energize positive change.

The 2025 EmPower Silicon Valley Music & Art Competition

Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) is proud to announce our fifth annual EmPowerSV scholarship competition! Local middle and high school students can participate in creating their clean energy-themed songs, album covers, or performances and win up to $3,000.

SVCE invites students to share their stories and solutions to climate change for scholarship awards and a chance to perform live. Students will have six weeks to create and submit a song or art piece that creatively showcases clean energy topics.

The Empower Silicon Valley prompt:

We invite you to create a song or piece of art that embodies the theme of clean energy and its role in shaping a sustainable future. This year, our competition has four award categories to choose from.

Your submission should reflect one or more of the following ideas:

  • The importance of renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, etc.)
  • The impact of clean energy on our communities and the environment
  • Innovations in clean technology and their potential to transform our world (EVs, heat pumps, electric appliances, etc.)

How to Participate in EmPowerSV

How to Participate in EmPowerSV

Competition Rules

  • May compete as an individual or in a team of up to five participants.
  • Each individual or team of participants must complete the registration form.
  • For teams of participants, each team member must upload an application form to their registration.
  • Submissions must be entered by the deadline to qualify. 

Eligibility

  • Must be currently enrolled in a middle/junior high or high school
  • Must live in a household/residence that receives electric service from SVCE and/or attend a school in Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, or unincorporated Santa Clara County communities

Submission Guidelines

  • Register and submit your piece for the competition here. If participating in EmpowerSV as a team, your team will register together under your team’s name. All team members must submit a Waiver & Application form on their registration.
  • Complete one form per team
  • Video Submissions must be no longer than three minutes in duration
      • Submit as an MP4 file or as a link
  • Other submissions submit as PDF file
  • Does not include copyrighted images, video, or music
  • The deadline to submit is April 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

Scholarship Awards

Scholarship Awards

A panel of judges will award scholarship funds across five award categories. Award amounts will be divided equally between team members.

Best Performance Award ($3,000): This award recognizes the team or participant that delivers the most compelling performance, with an emphasis on stage presence, musicianship, and overall crowd engagement. Finalists will be asked to perform live and winners will be decided through their performance at this event.

Album Cover Award ($3,000): This award recognizes the team or participant with the most visually creative and sustainable album cover design, incorporating the theme of clean energy or climate action.

Songwriting Award ($3,000): This award recognizes the team or participant with the most original and impactful songwriting, particularly focused on the themes of climate resilience, clean energy, or sustainability, which can inspire others toward environmental awareness and action.

Zero Waste Award ($3,000): This award recognizes the team or participant that showcases a dedicated effort to waste reduction by creating music using household items or designing album covers from recycled materials. The award encourages participants to consider the entire life cycle of their creations, highlighting how their instruments and visual art can embody eco-conscious values.

Honorable Mentions (Four at $2,000): This recognition goes to submissions that demonstrate strong talent and connection to the theme, earning a well-deserved spot among the top entries.

Get Inspired

Get Inspired

Check out these resources to learn about electric appliances, video styles and more!

Inspiration

Resources

Last Year’s EmpowerSV Short Video Competition Winners

Heat Pump Hit Award

SVCE Short Music Video: Heat Pumps

Jeremy Brosnan,
Saint Francis High School

Presidential Induction Award

Clean Cooking 2.0

Reena Boddukuri,
Prospect High School

Iconic Commercial Award

EV Chargers: The Pulse of the Future

Jyothiswaroop Makala,
Prospect High School

Nobel Technology Award

Heat Pump Water Heater Parody

Elspeth & Audrey Luu,
Monta Vista High School

Creative Presentation Awards

Got Charge? EmPowerSV Video

Maple Fan and Clarabelle Wang,
Cupertino High School

Go Green – Starting With EV Chargers

Sanvi Bharadwaj,
Cupertino Middle School

Clean Energy Empowers the Future

Ramya Makala,
Prospect High School

SVCE Scholarship Opportunities

If you are interested in future SVCE scholarship opportunities or youth education initiatives, please sign up on our interest form to stay updated.

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