Sweep geometric models are based on the notion of moving a curve, surface or solid along some path. Sweeping allows definition of prismatic shell surfaces in a simple way, This paper describes an application of sweep geometric models for the optimization of prismatic shells. This geometric model is integrated with finite element formulations. A nine-node degenerated shell element is adopted to calculate the response of prismatic shells. Several examples we presented to demonstrate the process of optimization. From numerical examples, it is observed that sweep geometric models provide an efficient and reliable way of obtaining optimal solutions for a large class of prismatic shell structures.