The Alaska Federation of Natives has announced the winners of its 5th annual Alaska Marketplace Competition.
The popular "innovation competition" awards a total of $200,000 in seed money to entrepreneurs across the state for business development. Its goal is to "spur real economic growth in Alaska's rural communities."
Here is the entire list of 2011 winners:
Rodrick Phillip for Caniineq Wind Group - $25,000
Tessa Baldwin for Hope4Alaska - $25,000
Edmond Apassingok for Aksik Detachable Fins - $25,000
Erin Margaret Forton for Bering Tea - $22,000
Lindsey Meyers for Food As Medicine - $20,000
Michael Golub for RevUp: Electric Car Instruction - $15,000
Teri Crawley Norton for Sea Salt from Alaska - $10,000
Phillip Solomon for Yukon River Fish Wheel Kits - $10,000
John Stam for Circular Sawmill in Galena - $10,000
Heather Wells for Enchanted Forest Nursery - $5,000
Rebecca Wilbur for Yup'ik Originals - $5,000 (People's Choice Honoree)
Etta Tall for Auka's JBK Salve - $3,000
Penny Olanna for Tory's Tea - $3,000
Michelle Sparck for ArXotica - $2,000
Dune Lankard for Copper River Wild Salmon Company - $2,000
Agnes Phillips for Betty's Shop - $2,000
Tim Meyers for Meyers Farm - $2,000
Eva Sheldon for Kobuk River Cabins - $2,000
Mark & Shelly Leary for Stone Woman Adventures - $2,000
Kate Rich & Ezekiel Tenhoff for Nome Yurt Camp - $2,000
Michelle Scannell for Tundra Toys - $2,000
The competition also awarded $1,000 each to five essayists. Here's the list of essay winners and the subjects:
Vera Starbard - Net-based behavioral health for youth suicide prevention
Dale Rooney - A New Paradigm for Energy Storage, Distribution and Use
Kathy Pratt – Visit to Alaska
Tiffany Jackson – QTTech
Walter Rose – Norton Sound Biomass Heating Solutions
Alaska Dispatch Publishing