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The first Solar Decathlon Design Challenge hosted on African soil — bringing together 21 finalist teams from across the continent to design the sustainable buildings of tomorrow.
On 25 March 2026, the AUC New Cairo Campus came alive with the energy of the next generation of architects, engineers, and sustainability leaders. The Solar Decathlon Design Challenge Africa 2025 Final Competition brought together 21 finalist teams from across Africa and beyond for a day of presentations, exhibitions, and celebration.
Teams competed across two divisions — Residential and Commercial & Service — presenting their high-performance, low-carbon building designs to a panel of 12 expert jurors drawn from across the continent and around the world. Exhibition teams enriched the day with additional project showcases, while the full event drew students, faculty, and industry leaders together in one space.
The competition concluded with an awards ceremony announcing the Division Winners, Grand Jury Award, and special recognition prizes — celebrating not just the podium finishers but the outstanding collaboration, equity focus, and team spirit shown throughout.
Four divisions, five special awards, and one Grand Jury prize — congratulations to all teams who competed and won.
From Morocco to Mozambique, Uganda to Egypt — 21 finalist teams representing the best sustainable design talent across Africa and beyond.
The American University in Cairo (AUC) is proud to have hosted the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge Africa 2025 — the first edition of this prestigious competition on African soil.
Located in the heart of Egypt, AUC is a leading English-language, American-accredited institution and a center of intellectual, social and cultural life in the Arab world. Ranked the most sustainable university in Africa and Egypt in 2022, AUC is a signatory to the UN-backed Race to Zero Campaign for Universities and Colleges.
