Get Nominated!

Have an idea!

Your project idea should:

• Be something new,
• Address opportunities or challenges that are important to the people and communities of the North,
• Address the causes of a northern issue, rather than the resulting symptoms, and
• Be by the North and for the North. Ideas and projects for Northern communities should be driven by members of those communities.
  
  Check out our Eligibility Criteria for more details. 

Build a team.

Your team should be diverse. When you think about your project, it is important to think about the different skills, expertise, and knowledge that your team will need to complete it. Then, build the team with that in mind. 

Check out the Diversity section of our Eligibility Criteria to learn about the different forms that diversity can take.

Pick the right prize category.

The Arctic Inspiration Prize has three award categories, each with different requirements. Review the Nomination Guides for the $1 Million, AIP and Youth prize categories, and make sure to read all of the Eligibility Criteria.

• One $1 million prize may be awarded to one team
• AIP: Up to four prizes of up to $500,000 each
• Arctic Inspiration Youth Prize (AIYP): Up to seven youth prizes of up to $100,000 each
  • This category is for youth driven teams, not just projects for youth.

Check out the Age Diversity section of our Eligibility Criteria for more details on how we define youth for the AIYP.

Submit a Letter of Intent/Inspiration Proposal.

• This is optional, but it is very helpful!
• For the $1 Million and AIP categories, write a two-page (maximum) summary of your idea and submit it to [email protected]. See the Nomination Guides for details on what to include.
• To submit an Inspiration Proposal for the AIYP go to the youth website.  
• The AIP team will send feedback to those submitting Letters of Intent and Inspiration Proposals that can be very helpful when writing your nomination! 
  
  Letter of Intent/Inspiration Proposal Due Date: October 20, 2025 

Develop your idea.

• Develop and refine your idea.
• How does your project impact your region(s)/community(ies)?
• What steps do you need to take to make your idea a reality?
• How will you measure the success of your project?   
  
  Each prize category has a nomination guide and template that will walk you through the steps to develop your project. (Find the guides and templates here.)
  
  You may want to review the selection criteria to see how the AIP selection committees will evaluate your nomination.

Find an AIP Ambassador/Nominator to support your nomination.

• Each nomination needs to include a nomination letter written by an official AIP Ambassador/Nominator.
• Reach out to one of our Ambassadors/Nominators, walk them through your proposed idea and ask them to write a letter of support for your nomination.
• Remember, the Ambassador/Nominator you choose must be independent from your team and cannot be connected to your project in any way.
• If you have trouble finding an Ambassador/Nominator, please reach out to our team. 

Submit your nomination on time!

• Make sure you’ve read through all of the eligibility and selection criteria and have completed all sections of this prize cycle’s Nomination Template – and submit it before the due date!
• It’s best not to leave your nomination to the last minute, as some of the sections take time to prepare.
• If you have any questions, it’s always better to reach out to the AIP team earlier rather than later. 

The 14th annual call for nominations is now open! The due date for nominations is January 19, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT. You can find the nomination materials here.