The Njord Challenge
An international student competition for autonomous boats, held every summer in Trondheim. Teams from all over the world bring the boats they have built and let them sail on their own.
Boats that sail by themselves.
Njord – The Autonomous Ship Challenge is run by Njord NTNU, a student organisation started in Trondheim in 2019. Every year they invite student teams from around the world to Nyhavna in Trondheim.
Each team designs, builds and operates its own autonomous surface vessel. During the week the boats have to solve tasks on the water with no one steering them. In 2025 eleven teams from eight countries took part, and Navier USN from Norway won.
The point is not only to win. Teams get to test theory in practice, work across many fields and meet others who build the same kind of technology.
Four tasks to solve.
The boats sail a course in the harbour and are given one task at a time. Everything has to happen on its own – the team is not allowed to steer.
- Task 01
Manoeuvring
The boat has to steer through a marked course on the water and show that it can control its own movement.
- Task 02
Path finding
The boat has to read the sea markers and find its own way through the course, without help from the team.
- Task 03
Collision avoidance
Another vessel crosses the path. The boat has to see it in time and go around it safely.
- Task 04
Docking
The last task is to find the right spot at the dock and park the boat there on its own.
What is out on the course.
The course is built like a small version of real waters, with marks the boat has to read and understand.
Buoys
Floating markers that show where the course goes and where the boat must not sail.
Cardinal marks
Sea marks that tell you which side is safe to pass, just like in real shipping.
AR tags
Printed markers the boat reads with its camera to find the right dock or gate.
The Otter
A small vessel from the organisers that moves across the course in the collision task.
How the teams are judged.
Points come from more than the sailing. The jury looks at the whole project.
The four tasks
Most points come from what the boat actually does on the water during the week.
Technical report
The team writes about the design and the choices behind the boat.
Team presentation
Every team presents their work for the jury and the other teams.
Technical inspection
The boat is checked against the rules for size, safety and power before it may sail.
Data and interface
Teams show the data and the interface they use to follow the boat.
Special awards
There are also prizes for team spirit, sportsmanship and best presentation.
Our place in the challenge.
Marinor NTNU is on the team list for the Njord Challenge 2026. Argus, our first autonomous boat, is built for exactly these tasks: find the way, see what is around it, avoid other boats and dock on its own.
Follow Njord online.
Rules, teams, results and news – everything is on Njord's own website.
The official website of Njord – The Autonomous Ship Challenge.
Read more about this year's competition on Njord's own page.
See all the teams that signed up for 2026 – Marinor is one of them.
The score list from the 2026 challenge, published by Njord (PDF).
Want to know more about Njord?
The rules, the schedule and the team list all live on Njord's own website. You can also read how we built our boat.