FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas College of Engineering will bring Solar Splash, the world championship of intercollegiate solar boating, to Lake Fayetteville from May 27 to 31. Spectators from across the region will be able to see the future of sustainable boating as 17 teams compete for top honors without burning a single drop of gas.

Each team of students is responsible for designing its own boat and solar power system. Boats are scored on how they look, how well they are built and how well they operate, in addition to their performance on the lake. 

The official competition begins Wednesday morning, May 27, with technical inspections that continue through the next morning. The racing starts Thursday and Friday, May 28 and 29, when the solar boats will be timed on a qualifying course and a slalom course. Friday afternoon the teams get to show off their boats' speed in the 300-meter sprint races, scheduled to finish on Sunday. The endurance competition, in which boats try to go as far as possible in 2 hours, is scheduled for the morning of Saturday, May 30.

These events are free and open to the public. This is the fourth consecutive year the University of Arkansas College of Engineering has hosted the event on Lake Fayetteville. Solar Splash, in its 15th year, is the world's only international, intercollegiate solar electric boat design and race competition.