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OTTAWA — Northern innovation was recognized by the Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP) Awards recently with more than $2.7 million being awarded to seven teams from the Far North.

The awards were held in Ottawa. The winning teams received prize money and recognition for their groundbreaking by the North and for the North projects, states a news release.

The main $1 million prize was awarded to the Pilimmaksaijuliriniq Project. The project is building additional mental health competencies and Inuit wellness traditional teachings to support the delivery of community-based programs across Inuit Nunangat, reads the release.

There were three awarded in the AIP category. Lessons from our Elders was awarded $450,000 for their initiative to involve high school students in the identification of historic artifacts mentioned in stories told by community elders and the creation of a virtual exhibit to display said artifacts.

The Shäwthän Näzhì: Recovery Support Program won $500,000 for intensive and ongoing after care support following attendance at treatment programs. Over three years the program aims to build capacity in the Yukon Indigenous wellness practitioner community.

A new research governance organization named Atanniuvik won $500,000 to “focus on building the human capacity at the heart of Atanniuvik’s operations, including ensuring that Atanniuvik is run by and for Inuit,” reads the release.

Three $100,000 prizes were awarded in the youth category.

N”tsaÜw Chu’ Kedts’edán Kù Traditional Camp won $100,000 to help build a traditional camp on the Porter Creek Secondary School campus; Northern Games Youth Collaboration “Inuvialuit Piuyausiq” won to hold a Northern Youth Development program in Tuktoyaktuk; and the Nunavut Youth Creative Collective won to develop its agency which plans to increase Inuit representation in advertising, media and other digital forms.

“The Arctic Inspiration Prize is the largest annual prize in Canada and how wonderful that it’s focus is on the North and northern excellence,” said Wally Schumann, chair of the Arctic Inspiration Prize Charitable Trust, in the release.

“These seven laureates are now well on their way to achieving their dreams.”