Njord - The Autonomous Ship Challenge is a unique, international student competition, where participants are tasked with designing and building an autonomous ship. Teams are then invited to bring their vessels to the Trondheimsfjord, where they will compete in a series of challenges and events.


The competition is held by and for the students, where our goal is to inspire innovation and smart solutions within marine autonomy, as well as creating a platform for personal development and networking.

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In 2023, teams will be able to enter a physical competition as well as a digital one. This means that if your team is unable to manufacture a physical vessel, you can still partake in the virtually simulated part of the competition. You can read more about the rules and technical specifications for the physical and digital competitions by clicking the Gitbook buttons below.
The competition aims to become an international arena for students to explore new ideas and concepts connected to the autonomous shipping industry. Teams will face real life problems currently experienced by the marine industry, giving them genuine experience with teamwork, prototyping, problem solving and innovation. The problems in the competition are created together with the world leading autonomy cluster situated in Trondheim, providing you hands-on experience with state-of-the-art methods used within ocean autonomy.
PHYSICAL COMPETITIONDIGITAL COMPETITION

Who can join?

It is not necessary to have any former experience within autonomy or shipping, but we recommend that at least one team member has some experience with software development or similar. To join the competition, you and your team must be in an undergraduate or graduate program. You will also need to send in a form to Njord, where you can document team members (at least two), and a contact person from your university. There is no upper limit for numbers of team members, but we estimate that you will need approximately 4 students with some knowledge of software development and/or autonomous systems to be able to solve this years challenge. .
We are glad to see you here! We are always looking for more teams to join the competition. Njord aims to be an international arena for students to be creative, innovative and real life problem solvers.
Show your interest here!

Timeline

1. March
Deadline for registration of teams (physical)


1. April
Deadline for registration of teams (digital)


1. August
Submission of technical report (both)

Teams

Here you can find an overview of universities that are ready to take on the 2023 Njord Challenge! If you are interested in participating in the Challenge and don't see your university on the list, we encourage you to hit the ground running with a team of your own.

The registered teams are currently:
  • MIT Arcturus
  • Técnico Solar Boat
  • Vortex
  • Autobee
  • Marine Robotics Society
  • AGH Solar Boat

Prizes

Our main sponsors are proud to provide the prize for the 2023 Njord Challenge! When the dust has settled and the jury has spoken, the most innovative teams will be rewarded for their efforts.

The size of the prize is yet to be determined, but will be announced in the near future.

Register your interest here!

You will be contacted shortly after filling in the registration form!
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NOTE: For your team to be officially registered, a deposit will be required ($100 for the digital competition and $200 for the physical competition). This will be paid back in full if your team delivers a technical report at the end, or withdraws by May 1.
The information you provide Njord will be used for Njord purposes only,
with the goal of recruiting and communicating with potential competition
participants or Njord members. All the information will be deleted upon request.

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