🇳🇴 ‘Google Maps for the Arctic’ idea wins ArcticNext 2025

– This project can make Arctic travel safer and daily life easier, Muhammad Adeel Ahsan from the winning team shares.

A student team from Memorial University won the first ArcticNext Student Innovation Challenge, taking home 30,000 Norwegian kroner ($4000 CAD).

Their winning idea was a navigation tool nicknamed “Google Maps for the Arctic”. It uses satellite data and artificial intelligence to help travelers and ships find safe routes through sea ice.

The ArcticNext 2025 winners in St. John’s presented their idea for a “Google Maps for the Arctic,” aimed at making travel through sea ice safer.

The team, made up of Ahmed Wahby, Alexander Kennedy, and Muhammad Adeel Ahsan, impressed the judges with a solution that mixes high-tech innovation and real-world need.

– This project can make Arctic travel safer and daily life easier, Ahsan from the winning team shares.

Students at Memorial University in St. John’s worked through the weekend developing new ideas for Arctic communities as part of the first ArcticNext challenge.

Ideas From Both Sides of the Atlantic

Second place and a solid 20 000 NOK ($2500 CAD) went to NunaBox, a concept for modular indoor farms that grow food all year in northern climates. The system combines aquaculture and hydroponics to strengthen local food supply.

The team members are Zafir Rahman, Kazi Anis Prince, and Maliha Dew.

The NunaBox team earned second place for their concept of modular indoor farms that can grow food all year in the North.

Third place and 10 000 NOK ($1500 CAD) went to Nord University students Yelyzaveta Nikitina, Muhammad Affan Syed, Giulio Mozzetti, and Riccardo Brugnera with IceCube. Their idea is a transparent recycling box that rewards users for sorting waste.

People can recycle clothes, plastic, and electronics, and earn points to spend in local shops. The points can also be donated to support community initiatives. Items that can still be used are passed on to charities.

– IceCube connects everyday recycling to bigger environmental challenges, shares the Nord team.

Nord University students presented IceCube, a smart recycling box that rewards users for sorting waste.

A Weekend of Innovation

ArcticNext was held 26–28 September at Nord University’s SPIR Innovation Lab in Bodø and Memorial University in St. John’s, Canada.

Six teams, three from each university, spent the weekend developing ideas for stronger, more sustainable Arctic communities.

The challenge is part of the YoungArctic project, which links students across the circumpolar North. It was organized by Nord University’s High North Center, Engage Center at Nord University Business School and Memorial University in Canada.

– We saw creativity, teamwork, and genuine interest in Northern issues, says Andrey Kazakov, adviser at the High North Center.

He was part of the local organizing team at Nord. The organizers are already planning ahead for next edition in 2026.

– It was great to see such strong engagement from students. We gained valuable experience and look forward to next year already, the team shares.

Participants and organizers gathered at SPIR Innovation Lab in Bodø after a weekend of collaboration and creative problem-solving during ArcticNext 2025.

The IceCube team together with Andrey Kazakov, Elena Sæther and Line Mathilde Karlsen from Nord University’s local organizing team at SPIR Innovation Lab.

This story was prepared by Markus Thonhaugen at the High North Center, Nord University in collaboration with the organizers. It’s part of the YoungArctic project, an initiative working to make the Arctic a more attractive place for young people to settle, work, and live. Through our Instagram page and this blog, we share stories from youth across the region.

Originally published on 10 October by YoungArctic.

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