See www.navalengineers.org/PEP26 for highlights from the last PEP competition.
Racing in VA Since 2022
PEP Workforce National Competition will return to Portsmouth City Park in April 2027.
4 Uncrewed Divisions
Autonomy (30-lb payload), Budget Warriors (30-lb payload), Open (60-lb payload), Long-Distance RC (30-lb payload)
2 Crewed Divisions
Planing & Displacement (both divisions race 5-miles)
The PEP competition exposes students to many disciplines needed across NAVSEA, including naval architecture, propulsion systems, hydrodynamics, energy storage, autonomous control systems, advanced manufacturing, systems integration, and performance testing, creating a direct talent pipeline into the Navy’s technical workforce.
PEP represents a highly effective mechanism for fulfilling its mission to discover, develop, and deliver future naval capabilities while cultivating the scientific workforce required to sustain America’s technological advantage. This competition serves as an early-stage innovation ecosystem where students apply emerging technologies in electric propulsion, batteries, autonomous systems, sensors, controls, and advanced materials. The competition encourages experimentation, rapid prototyping, and hands-on engineering in ways that closely mirror ONR’s broader investments in research and technology development.
PEP Workforce Development supports talent development across the Naval Research Enterprise (NRE) through support and collaboration with NSWC Carderock Division and the Office of Naval Research because it develops new talent pools, trains them to solve a Navy problem, and connects them with NRE careers. We prepare the next generation of engineers, scientists, and technologists needed to maintain America’s maritime advantage.
URI’s Budget Warrior boat was built with $1,499.60.
2 miles (eight 1/4-mi segments) in 7 minutes, 15 seconds
By supporting PEP, ONR helps create a community of future engineers and researchers who are already familiar with naval challenges and motivated to pursue careers supporting the Navy and Marine Corps. The competition connects universities, government laboratories, shipyards, defense contractors, and technology companies through a common engineering challenge. Students gain practical experience designing and building complex systems, employers gain access to highly qualified talent, and the Navy benefits from a growing workforce already trained in technologies critical to future maritime operations.
Through our partners at the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, we host onsite job fairs and virtual job talks. PEP strengthens the maritime industrial base and places people throughout the region’s NRE.
Are you in? The required steps are listed below. If you have any questions or would like to discuss, just email [email protected]. There are optional Office Hours meetings on August 31 and September 15 (Office Hours sign-up form).
- Complete sign-up page by Monday, September 28. You can also complete this PEP27 Sign-up PDF and email it to [email protected].
- Checks are sent to the address listed on the sign-up during the Fall semester.
- Paper and video are due 3 weeks before the start of your competition.
- On-site qualification requires craft to go out 100 feet and turn around.
- Attend safety meeting the morning of your race. Please note that all craft are expected to be ready at the start of the race time and will line up in the order provided by PEP organizers.
- PEP27 Race dates: PEP West: April 2 (tentative); PEP South: April 7 (tentative); PEP East: April 13-16 (Portsmouth City Park, VA)
There will be more details on race day in the winter. The qualifying is short but required. Please allow enough time to ensure you can fix any issues and qualify. The race time will be the same day for PEP West, PEP South, and the regional PEP events. For PEP East, the racing will begin at 0900 the next morning. All PEP East craft should be ready at 0900. If a team is not ready to run when they are called, then there time will not be considered for first-place awards.
Want help finding your next internship/job? You can email [email protected] or upload your resume to the PEP27 Resume Repository.
