ST. PAUL and DULUTH, Minn. — Two Minnesota student teams earned grand prize honors in the 2026 Aquaculture Challenge, a Great Lakes regional science competition that gives students hands-on experience designing and maintaining aquaponic systems, developing business plans and sharing what they learn with their communities.
Aquaponics is a soil-free farming practice that uses the same water to raise fish and grow plants. The Aquaculture Challenge is a four-month competition that uses aquaponics to help student teams explore science, engineering, biology, chemistry, math, innovation and aquaculture careers.
Harbor City International School in Duluth, coached by science teacher Brian Scott, won the High School Division Overall Grand Prize and Best Business Pitch Award. John Adams Middle School in Rochester, coached by science teacher Debra Las, won the Middle School Division Overall Grand Prize and Best System Design Award.
Teams take part in four challenge areas: designing and building an aquaponic system, monitoring the chemical and biological parts of the system, creating a business plan related to aquaculture industry issues and solutions, and completing an outreach project to engage people outside the team.
“Participating in the Aquaculture Challenge exposes students in middle and high school to new ideas that they likely have never thought about before,” said Minnesota Sea Grant Fisheries and Aquaculture Extension Educator Julia Grenn. “Namely that fish can be farmed and that it can happen indoors.”
The Harbor City International School team grew Golden Shiner, a popular bait fish, and garden beans in its aquaponic system. As part of its outreach project, the team hosted a fish-naming fundraiser to increase awareness about aquaculture.
“The Harbor City team was composed of AP Biology students competing in the four aspects of the Aquaculture Challenge, and they did an excellent job of bringing part of our school mission, creative expression and community engagement, to their project,” said Scott. “AP Biology requires hands-on laboratory work, with an emphasis on inquiry-based investigations that provide students the opportunity to apply the science practices, which include energetics, information storage and transformation, and systems interactions. The Aquaculture Challenge provided a chance for students to practice science skills, work on these AP science practices, and work together towards a common goal.”
The John Adams Middle School team grew guppies and Vietnamese coriander. The team designed its aquaponic system to support mental health by incorporating the calming sound of dripping water and using the guppies as companion animals.
“The competing teams from Minnesota creatively tackled each aspect of the Aquaculture Challenge and used problem solving and ingenuity to learn more about aquaculture and the different skillsets needed to design and run a successful system,” said Grenn.
Aquaculture is the breeding, rearing and harvesting of fish, shellfish, algae and other organisms in water environments. Aquaponics combines fish production with plant production in a single system, allowing students to explore biology, chemistry, engineering, food systems, business development and communication.
“The students did more than build systems,” said Grenn. “They tested ideas, collected information, solved problems and thought about how aquaculture can connect to food, business, education and community well-being.”
The Aquaculture Challenge is open to middle school and high school student teams from Great Lakes states and is designed for school and after-school programs, including 4-H and Future Farmers of America. Teams are supported by an adult coach and a designated liaison who assist teams and coaches with the Challenge guidelines and aquaculture technical knowledge.
The competition is a collaboration among the eight Great Lakes Sea Grant programs and Lake Superior State University and is co-chaired by Michigan Sea Grant. Minnesota Sea Grant and the Sea Grant Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative became supporters of the Aquaculture Challenge in 2024.
Minnesota Sea Grant is a system program of the University of Minnesota and one of 34 federal-university Sea Grant partnerships across the country supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Great Lakes and coastal states that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, outreach, communication, education and technology transfer.
Find this and all past Minnesota Sea Grant news releases on our website.
CONTACTS:
Julia Grenn, Fisheries and Aquaculture Extension Educator, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Duluth, [email protected].
Brian Scott, Science Teacher, Harbor City International School, Duluth, Minnesota.
Marie Thoms, Associate Director, Communications Director, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Duluth, [email protected].
Image credit: Julia Grenn/MNSG