On Aug. 14, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the contest rules for its second annual Campus RainWorks Challenge. The goal of the competition is to engage students in developing innovative approaches to stormwater management. In 2012, more than 200 students participated, representing 42 states.

This year’s challenge features two design categories and a new design brief format. Student teams, working with a faculty advisor, will submit design briefs and a video describing a proposed green infrastructure project for their campus. The two categories for this year’s competition include: a master plan category and a site design category. The master plan category calls for conceptual designs at a larger scale, while the site design category calls for proof-of-concept level designs at a smaller scale.

Registration for Campus RainWorks opens Sept. 9, and entries must be submitted by Dec. 13 for consideration. Winning entries will be selected by EPA and announced in February and April of 2014 for the site design and master plan categories, respectively.  Winning teams will earn a cash prize of $1,000 – $2,000.