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Arctic Innovation Competition accepting entries

September 8, 2016

Andrea Miller
907-474-5942

Photo courtesy of School of Management. Sharon and Cameron Gackstetter hold Cameron’s check from the 2015 Arctic Innovation Competition.
Photo courtesy of School of Management. Sharon and Cameron Gackstetter hold Cameron’s check from the 2015 Arctic Innovation Competition.


The University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Management will award more than $28,000 in cash prizes through its annual Arctic Innovation Competition.

The competition, now in its eighth year, invites competitors to propose new, feasible and potentially profitable ideas. The deadline to submit an entry is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, 2016.

In 2015, proposals covered a broad range of subjects. Winning ideas included a concrete product created with waste fly ash, waste expanded polystyrene, and Portland cement; a paraplegic cross-country sit-ski device; and a pollution-reduction device for wood stoves. The $10,000 grand prize winner was Cameron Gackstetter, with “The ThawHead,” a portable apparatus that uses a two-stage process to first thaw ice and then quickly and efficiently remove the melt water and debris from canister lights on airport runways.

The competition is open to the public, there is no entry fee and ideas do not have to be Arctic-related. Three divisions are now accepting submissions: Main Division (ages 13 and up), Junior Division (ages 13-17) and Cub Division (ages 12 and under). Individuals or teams are encouraged to enter, and multiple ideas are accepted. After the initial screening process, up to 32 winners will be selected to receive cash prizes ranging from $25 to $10,000. Finalists will showcase their ideas to judges on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 3-5 p.m. at the Wedgewood Resort, with a reception to follow. The public is encouraged to attend.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Tammy Tragis-McCook, 907-474-7042, tammy.tragis@alaska.edu.

ON THE WEB: www.arcticinno.com