Identify innovative ways to forecast and characterize fishing activity to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and win part of a $1 million prize pool. Learn more by visiting the NSIN challenge website.

Overview

The National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) are launching a prize challenge to identify innovative solutions from across the commercial and academic communities to forecast maritime vessel traffic involved in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The ability to forecast IUU fishing will inform U.S. and partner nations’ responses to IUU fishing.

The challenge will proceed in two phases: (1) a “Proposal Round,” to identify up to ten finalists from eligible participant entities (see “Eligibility” below); and (2) a “Pitch Round,” to identify the top three winners.

In the Proposal Round, participants will submit fishing effort forecasts and written summaries of proposed capabilities via a concept of operations (CONOPS), from which a panel of subject matter experts will select up to ten finalists to advance to the Pitch Round. During the Pitch Round, participants will submit an additional set of fishing effort forecasts; they will demonstrate their solutions and present their proposed CONOPS to the judging panel at a pitch event in spring of 2024.

A total of $1 million in prize money will be awarded during the challenge. Up to ten finalists selected from the Proposal Round will be awarded $25,000 and invited to participate in the Pitch Round. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners of the Pitch Round will be awarded an additional $500,000, $200,000 and $50,000, respectively. All finalists, regardless of ranking, may be eligible for follow-on contracts with NGA.