Did you know a pair of UAA engineering students took a common Alaskan heating problem and turned it into a first-place win at UAF’s Arctic Innovation Competition?
May 28, 2026
On April 18, twins Drini and Vjosa Pellumbi won the $15,000 Main Division prize at the 2026 UAF Arctic Innovation Competition finals in Fairbanks. Coincidentally, it was also their birthday.
About the competition: The UAF Arctic Innovation Competition, organized by the UAF College of Business and Security Management, has been running since 2009. This year it received nearly 100 submissions from across Alaska and the United States and awarded more than $45,000 in prizes. It also expanded its reach into K-12 classrooms, with students from Anvil City Science Academy in Nome advancing to the finals. Their teacher, Rachel Ventress, received the $2,000 Classroom of the Future Award.
Their winning idea: The twins designed the Arctic Heat Recovery System as a low-cost residential boiler economizer designed specifically for rural Alaska. This system captures a small amount of heat that normally escapes through the boiler exhaust pipe and uses it to warm incoming water before it enters the boiler. By slightly increasing the temperature of the water going into the system, the boiler burns less oil to reach operating temperature. Over time, this reduces fuel use, lowers heating costs, and decreases wear on the boiler.
Why it matters: Rural Alaska is facing a fuel crisis. Heating oil has reached $17.50 per gallon in some communities, according to Alaska's News Source, and lawmakers warn prices could climb further. The Pellumbis grew up with the challenges of energy prices and infrastructure growing up in Bethel, Alaska.
The background: The Pellumbis, who are twins, completed high school in Bethel while earning associate degrees through the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP), UA's program supporting underrepresented students in science and engineering since 1995. They are now mechanical engineering students at UAA.
Where the idea came from: Their father, a carpenter, built the family's homes in Bethel. Every winter, the boiler systems needed repair and maintenance.
"Because shipping costs and heating oil are both extremely expensive in rural communities, we saw firsthand the financial burden this placed not only on our family, but on many others as well," the twins said.
Their mother heard about the competition through a friend and encouraged them to enter. "We wanted to focus on an issue that directly affects many families in rural Alaska," they said.
How it works: "By recovering part of that wasted heat, the system can operate more efficiently and potentially lower operating costs and fuel usage over time," the twins said.
By the numbers: With their win, the Pellumbis took home $21,000 total, including the $15,000 first place prize and three $2,000 kicker awards in the Alaska College Student, Climate and Sustainability categories.
What's next: Part of their prize is the Alaska Student Kicker Award. The UAF Center for Innovation will sponsor their trip to Seattle to compete at the University of Washington Dempsey Startup Competition.
"Winning means being one step closer to our solution. This is very new to us. We are undergraduate mechanical engineering students at UAA, and this is a gateway for us to get into that career path," they told UAF News following the win.
Supporting students as they tackle Alaska's real-world challenges is how the next generation of problem-solvers gets made. This is exactly what the University of Alaska is built for.
For the Pellumbis, this win is just the beginning.
"It's not just about the competition," the twins said. "It's about taking one step closer toward creating something meaningful and impactful."
Go deeper:
- For a complete list of winners, visit the AIC website.
- Interested in entering the competition? The AIC submission period for 2027 will open in the fall.
- Read UAF News: Arctic Innovation Competition presents 2026 awards.
- Read Alaska's News Source: Rural Alaska faces historic fuel crisis.