A Secure, Resilient Energy Grid
Cyber threats pose a critical risk to the energy infrastructure that powers where we work, live, and play. Cyberattacks can impact utilities—both large and small—and cause costly consequences that range from financial impacts and supply shortages to electricity outages.
The RMUC Program launched the ACT 1 Prize to help electric cooperative, municipal, and small investor-owned utilities protect against, detect, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity threats, and to increase their participation in cybersecurity threat information sharing programs. Utilities that progress through the competition will receive cash prizes and technical assistance to make meaningful, impactful investments in staff training, governance processes, and cybersecurity tools and technologies. These investments will result in a more secure and resilient energy grid.
Prize Structure
The ACT 1 Prize offers a total prize pool of up to $10.12 million in cash and technical assistance across three increasingly competitive phases—Commitment, Planning, and Implementation—where each phase concludes with a prize award.
- Commitment Phase: Utilities prepare submission packages that describe their resources, need for improving cybersecurity posture, and commitment to participating in the ACT 1 Prize.
- Planning Phase: Utilities work with technical assistance providers to complete system assessments, identify areas for training, understand potential risks and solutions, and draft a roadmap for implementation.
- Implementation Phase: Utilities work with technical assistance providers to make progress toward completing their implementation roadmap.
More information can be found in the official rules document.
| PRIZE PHASE | DURATION | ANTICIPATED NUMBER OF AWARDS | DOLLAR AMOUNTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1: Commitment | 3 Months | Up to 55 | $50,000 per winning competitor and 120 hours TA |
| Phase 2: Planning | 7 months (anticipated) | Up to 30 | $100,000 per winning competitor and 40 or 120 hours TA |
| Phase 3: Implementation | 3 months (anticipated) | Up to 30 | $50,000 per winning competitor |
Prize Background
The ACT 1 Prize is part of the RMUC Program and is managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). Established by the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the RMUC program will provide $250 million over a five-year period to strengthen the cybersecurity posture of electric cooperative, municipal, and small investor-owned utilities. The ACT 1 Prize is the first in the RMUC Program's ACT Prize series.
Who is Eligible to Compete?
The following entities are eligible to compete in the ACT 1 Prize Program:
- Rural electric cooperatives;
- Utilities owned by a political subdivision of a State, such as a municipally owned electric utility;
- Utilities owned by any agency, authority, corporation, or instrumentality of 1 or more political subdivisions of a State;
- Investor-owned electric utilities that sell less than 4,000,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year.
More information can be found in the official rules document.
How to Enter
The submission for this prize closed on Nov. 29, 2023. If you were a Commitment Phase 1 winner, your team captain received instructions on how to proceed. If you were not selected, please keep an eye out for future opportunities from theRural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance (RMUC) Program.
