Join the 2026 Aquaculture Challenge!

The Aquaculture Challenge is a four-month competition that engages 6-12 grade students, in teams of 1-15 and supported by a coach, in STEM learning, innovation, and career exploration by developing small aquaponics systems and business plans. Teams are to be sponsored by a school or after-school program like 4-H, FFA, etc.  

In 2024, the Sea Grant Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC) and Minnesota Sea Grant became supporters of the Aquaculture Challenge. 

What is aquaculture and aquaponics? 

• Aquaculture is the breeding, rearing, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, algae, and other organisms in all types of water environments.
• Aquaponics is a farming practice that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to grow plants and fish in a single system. Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants without soil.

Competition 

The competition has four parts. Each team has the option to complete one or more of the four parts in the four months of the competition. 

1. Design challenge. Teams selecting this option must design and build an aquaponics system of any size.
2. Monitor challenge. Teams selecting this option must monitor the chemical and biological portions of their aquaponics system. Teams can earn extra points for organized data and automated monitoring.
3. Business challenge. Teams selecting this option must create a business plan targeting aquaculture industry issues and solutions.
4. Outreach challenge: Students plan, facilitate, and execute an aquaculture focused outreach project with the goal of engaging people outside of the Aquaculture Challenge team and documenting the impact of their outreach through evaluation. 

Who can participate? 

The Aquaculture Challenge is open to 8-12 grade students from rural, urban, suburban, and homeschools in a Great Lakes state. Students must have an adult coach or captain. 

Support 

Teams must have a coach who completes an online training course and attends one online live workshop in order to be eligible for a team stipend. Michigan Sea Grant extension educators will provide start-up guidance and resources for coaches before the competition begins in January.

Graphic credit: MNSG/Cait Dettmann.