Finals of the Grand Prize Nuclear Energy Technologies Design Competition Begin

The Nuclear Energy Technologies Design Competition finals, organized for the second time this year under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and TENMAK, are being held at the Istanbul Küçükçekmece Nuclear Research and Training Center on 2-4 September.

Nuclear energy is used effectively worldwide not only in electricity generation but also in medicine, industry, scientific research, transportation, water resources management, agriculture and food production, and many other fields. Given that increased and wider use of nuclear energy is inevitable in the future, the establishment of nuclear policies in our country, R&D investments, and the critical importance of nuclear power plants in ensuring energy sustainability, fierce competition is taking place in the finals of the "Nuclear Energy Technologies Design Competition" organized within the scope of TEKNOFEST.

The competition is organized in two main categories: Basic Category and Sub-Category. The Basic Category is further divided into two categories: 'Conceptual Design Category' and 'Detailed Design Category'. The Sub-Categories are seen as 5 separate subcategories: 'Reactor Design Software Development, Reactor Core Design, Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management, Energy Conversion Design, Nuclear Instrumentation and Control Systems Design'.

There are three different team types in total: 'Undergraduate Teams' competing in "Conceptual Design" in the Basic Category and all Sub-Categories, 'School Teams' that can also compete in the "Detailed Design" phase of the Basic Category, and 'Professional Teams' that can compete in all categories.
• Undergraduate Teams: Independent teams consisting entirely of undergraduate students and not representing a specific university or faculty. These teams are limited to undergraduate-level competitors only. Undergraduate Teams were able to participate in 'Basic Category Conceptual Design' and all Categories under the Sub-Category heading.
• School Teams: Teams consisting of academics from the same university and students (undergraduate, master's, doctoral, instructor). School Teams compete only in the Detailed Design category, while also being eligible for infrastructure incentive awards.
• Professional Teams: Teams consisting of individuals formed from academics, sector professionals, or individuals from different universities and disciplines.

Total Prize Pool in the Nuclear Energy Technologies Design Competition Exceeds TRY 19 Million…
International undergraduate, master's and doctoral students, graduates, academics and sector professionals participated in the competition in team form. In the basic category, a total of 28 teams applied and 10 of these teams qualified for the finals. In the sub-category, a total of 57 teams applied and 17 teams qualified to participate in the finals.

A total prize pool of TRY 19,650,000 will be distributed to the winning teams. In the Basic Category, the first place winner in Detailed Design will receive TRY 1,000,000, second place TRY 500,000, third place TRY 300,000, and in Conceptual Design, first place TRY 400,000, second place TRY 300,000, third place TRY 200,000. Additionally, within the scope of the Academic Incentive Award in the Detailed Design category, the first-place school team will receive TRY 15,000,000.

In Sub-Category awards, the first place winners in Nuclear Instrumentation and Control Systems Design, Software Development, Reactor Core Design, Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management, and Energy Conversion Design will receive TRY 350,000 in awards.