Our history

The roots of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge stretch back to the powerboat meetings that animated the Principality in the early 20th century, when Monaco first established itself as a hub for maritime innovation and competition. Drawing on this heritage, the Yacht Club de Monaco launched the Challenge in 2014 as part of the broader “Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting” initiative – a strategic commitment to position the Principality at the centre of the transition toward cleaner, more sustainable boating.

What began as a modest solar-powered student contest has since evolved into a genuine bridge between concept and real-world application. Each year, engineering students design, build and race prototypes that are later refined into commercially viable technologies – turning the Challenge into far more than a competition. It has become a testbed where ideas sketched on paper are proven on the water, under the same conditions faced by the yachting industry itself.