Aquaculture Challenge

The Michigan Sea Grant-led Aquaculture Challenge engages students in STEM learning, innovation, and career development by developing aquaponics systems and business plans.

Why aquaculture and aquaponics?

Aquaculture and aquaponics are ways of farming seafood and plants without using soil. They can be sustainable ways to generate food security and economic growth for the Great Lakes region. Learn more about aquaculture.

Aquaculture Challenge

The Aquaculture Challenge is a collaboration between MISG and Lake Superior State University (LSSU). This science competition engages students in grades 8-12 from around the Midwest in a four-month venture to:

  • Build and monitor aquaponics systems
  • Create business plans
  • Cook seafood dishes or do seafood community outreach projects

The competition aims to engage students in STEM content, push teams to develop innovative aquaculture designs and business models, and demonstrate the potential of future aquaculture-related career paths.

How to participate

To learn more about the Aquaculture Challenge or to explore participating in the future, contact MISG Extension Educator Elliot Nelson at elliotne@msu.edu.

Teams can come from rural, urban, and suburban schools or homeschool groups in Michigan and surrounding Great Lakes states. New and returning teams are welcome; MISG staff provide start-up guidance and resources for coaches before the competition cycle begins each January.

Teams work from January-April to design and engineer table-top aquaponics systems. They spend the competition window monitoring and automating the systems, crafting business plans, and creating seafood outreach projects. Staff from MISG and faculty and students from Lake Superior State University provide guidance and mentorship to teams and coaches throughout the process.

Teams then celebrate their hard work through a virtual awards ceremony in May. 

Meet the 2023 winners!

View the 2023 awards ceremony on YouTube and meet the winning teams:

  • Judges’ Choice Award: Alcona Community Schools, Harrisville, MI
  • The Taste Maker Award (best seafood project): School of Options and Applied Research (SOAR) High School, Eagle River, WI
  • The Entrepreneurial Spirit Award (best business plan): School of Options and Applied Research (SOAR) High School, Eagle River, WI
  • The Tech Savvy Award (best monitoring): Green Lake High School, Green Lake, WI
  • Most Innovative Design Award (best system design): Les Cheneaux Community Schools, Cedarville, MI
  • Grand Prize (highest overall score): School of Options and Applied Research (SOAR) High School, Eagle River, WI