Ice Watch 2024 is now over!

Keep watching SIKU and our social media channels for this year’s highlights.

See you next ice season!

Use SIKU to take photos and videos of your ice observations, including dangerous ice conditions, and share sea ice terminology in your own Inuktut dialect.

How do I get started with SIKU? 

The SIKU app is a free download from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store. Then, open the app and follow the steps to create an Account. Make sure to add your community.

Download the SIKU mobile app

Create an Account

Add your Community

How do I make an Ice & Snow Post?

SIKU works without an internet connection, so you can make posts when you are on the land. Learn how to Make an Ice & Snow Post

How do I know what Ice & Snow Type to tag in my Post?

If you don’t know the Ice & Snow Type or your dialect is missing from the Ice & Snow Types, add a description in the Ice & Snow comment field. Include the term in your dialect if you know it.

Tag an Ice Type

How do I tag my community?

To qualify for an Ice Watch prize, your Ice & Snow Post must be tagged with your Inuit community in Canada. Learn how to add a community tag to your post.

To ensure your community is tagged every time you make a post, set it as a default tag

Can posts be made in town?

Ice observed within your community does not qualify.

The SIKU app works without an internet connection and automatically records your GPS location, so it is best to make posts while you are out on the land. If you took a photo or video of ice conditions on the land but didn’t create your post until you were back in town, you can edit your post’s location.

Who chooses the winners?

The Ice Watch Review Committee is made up of a panel of Inuit ice experts from across the North, including Inuit partners from the Arctic Eider Society and SmartICE 

How do I know if I won?

A SIKU administrator will comment on your Ice Post on SIKU to declare you a winner, and will send you a private SIKU message with instructions about how to claim your prize.

When are winners announced?

Weekly winners will be announced each week. The winners of the Grand Prizes will be announced at the end of the Ice Watch Challenge.

View past winners!

Who can enter?

You must be 19 years of age and live in an Inuit community in Canada to qualify.

Can I use a photo of ice from a previous year?

Qualifying Ice Posts must be made using photos or video taken on the land this ice season. See Full Terms and Conditions

I need help – who do I talk to?

Please contact us if you have additional questions or to claim your prize.

Can you tell me more about SIKU?

SIKU, the Indigenous Knowledge Social Network, is a mobile app made by and for Indigenous communities. SIKU is developed by the Arctic Eider Society (AES), an Indigenous-led nonprofit organization based in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut. AES does not own the data that users post on SIKU.

Still have Questions?

Stay Safe

Never put yourself in danger to make a post for the Ice Watch Challenge.

If ice conditions are dangerous, stay away and select the Dangerous Ice checkbox in your SIKU Ice & Snow Post to let others know it is not safe.

Full Terms & Conditions


Ice Conditions

The SIKU Ice Map displays Ice Posts showcasing Inuit Knowledge alongside ice charts showing the floe edge, ice roughness, SmartICE data, and satellite imagery. Ice Posts collected as part of the Ice Watch may be used to train machine-learning algorithms to classify sea ice using Inuktut terminology. Learn More


Safety Services

Used alongside a harpoon and other forms of Inuit Knowledge, SIKU’s services can support trip planning and improve ice safety.

Making an Impact

Share knowledge with your community and across the North. 

Between 2021 – 2024, SIKU users supported ice safety and climate change action across 100 communities, sharing more than 5,500 ice posts.


Make Great Posts!

Learn about what makes a great ice post by viewing posts from previous winners.


Word of the Week

The Ice Watch Word of the Week video series provides an in-depth look at various types of ice in different Inuktut dialects.


Tag Ice in Your Dialect

Photos, videos and comments made during the Ice Watch contribute to SIKU Ice & Snow Profiles containing local Inuktut dialects.

Ice Watch is brought to you by the Arctic Eider Society, an Inuit-led charity established in 2011, and developer of SIKU: The Indigenous Knowledge Social Network. SIKU is a web and mobile platform that provides tools and services for Indigenous communities to lead their own research and monitoring programs.

SmartICE is an Indigenous-led climate change adaptation. Our community operated services provide invaluable, data-driven insights into ice thickness and local ice travel conditions, in near real-time. Through SIKU, SmartICE provides more than 30 Indigenous communities with data from their SmartBUOY and SmartQAMUTIK. For example, during the 2022-2023 ice season, SmartICE shared 113 SmartQAMUTIK ice surveys, 25 SmartBUOY datasets and 52 weekly ice travel safety maps on SIKU. See SmartICE on SIKU.

The North West Company is a leading retailer to underserved rural communities and urban neighbourhood markets. Their stores, including Northern stores, offer a broad range of products and services with an emphasis on food. The North West Company has been a major supporter of the Ice Watch Challenge since 2021.

Uvagut TV is Canada’s first national Inuktut television channel – broadcasting movies, documentaries, cultural programs, current affairs shows, interviews with elders, and five hours of daily kids shows. They are currently available in over 610,000 homes across Canada.

The Weather Network is committed to delivering weather information 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, across all platforms. The Weather Network is supporting the Ice Watch Challenge by including the SIKU Ice Map in their weather broadcasts, and sharing Ice Watch videos on television. The Weather Network supports Ice Watch by broadcasting content that reaches more than 179,000 households.

The dealer of choice for motorized recreational vehicle enthusiasts looking for quality Bombardier recreational products at the best prices, Contant has been offering BRP products since 1970 in Laval, Mirabel and Ste-Agathe, Vaudreuil and Beloeil. Contant has been a major supporter of the Ice Watch Challenge since 2022.

Qualifying Requirements

  1. Ice Posts must be made between October 1, 2023 and July 2, 2024
  2. All posts must be unique observations – no duplicates
  3. All posts must be real, relevant, and reliable – no fake posts or old photos
  4. You must be 19 or older to win

Terms and Conditions

  • Never put yourself in danger in order to create a post for the Ice Watch. Do not approach dangerous areas.
  • Winners from communities without Northern stores will receive an alternate equivalent prize.
  • Use SIKU ice services at your own risk. The Arctic Eider Society cannot guarantee the accuracy of information shared by other users or 3rd party services. SIKU ice services should not be used as a primary way to assess ice safety; they work best when combined with your own experience and knowledge of the ice, and that of experts in your community.
  • By entering the Ice Watch, you agree to make your SIKU Ice & Snow Posts publicly visible and to contribute ice data to products and services which support knowledge transfer and ice safety, such as the SIKU Ice Map, for the benefit of Indigenous communities.
  • Ice Watch posts may be used by SIKU and partners, such as SmartICE, The Weather Network and Ugavut TV, for the purposes of sharing knowledge and ice safety as well as to promote the Ice Watch on social media, television and other channels. Winning posts may be shared widely in the press and on social media.
  • Participants may be subject to additional terms and conditions and winners will be determined at the sole discretion of the Arctic Eider Society.
  • The Arctic Eider Society reserves the right to disqualify any posts or contestants at their sole discretion and without providing a reason or notice. Users agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy of the SIKU platform, including respect for Indigenous knowledge, rights and integrity.

Waiver

By participating in the Ice Watch Challenge and/or using SIKU and SmartICE products, you acknowledge that you are doing so at your own risk on a volunteer basis, and agree to waive all rights to claims, litigation or other actions related to these platforms, tools and services.