Aquaculture Challenge for 8-12 Grade Students

  Join the 2025 Aquaculture Challenge!

The Aquaculture Challenge is a four-month competition that engages 8-12 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. The information on this page can also be found on the North Central Regional Aquaculture Center’s Aquaculture Challenge webpage.

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. Seafood challenge: Teams selecting this option must perform a culinary demonstration and outreach project. Teams can earn extra points for demonstrating fish processing and handling skills.

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.

General Timeline of Events

  • Oct. 31, 2024: Registration Opens 
  • Nov. 12-Jan. 12, 2025: Asynchronous Coach Check-In 
    • 1a - A 2-3 hour Google Classroom training that introduces the challenge and team requirements. Coaches complete at their own pace 
  • Early Jan. 2025: Coach Zoom Check-In 
    • 1b - Live coach training to review Google Classroom unit. Only attend one. 
  • Jan. 10, 2025: Last day to register a team. Registration closes at midnight. 
  • Early Jan. 2025: Virtual open house and team meet and greet. 
  • Feb. 2025: Milestone 2 Check-In. Teams check in with liaison. 
  • Mar. 2025: Milestone 3 Check-In. Teams check in with liaison. 
  • Apr. 2025: Milestone 4 Check-In. Submission prep. Teams prepare for submission with liaison. 
  • Apr. 25, 2025: Due date for project submissions. 
  • Early May 2025: Virtual awards ceremony.

Acknowledgements 

The 2024 Aquaculture Challenge was created and managed by Michigan Sea Grant and Lake Superior State University. Additional funding and support was provided by North Central Regional Aquaculture Center (NCRAC), Sea Grant Center for Great Lakes Literacy, Sea Grant Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative, and Minnesota Sea Grant. 

Graphic credit: MNSG/Cait Dettmann.

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