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The 2017 De Beers Inspired Ice - NWT Carving Championship will once again have a local and international flavour when it takes place March 24-26 during the Long John Jamboree in Yellowknife. 

Three teams from the United States are among the ten teams confirmed to date, including inaugural De Beers Inspired Ice winner Stephan Koch of Indiana in 2012. There are also three teams representing the Northwest Territories.  

Yellowknife Mayor Mark Heyck said “It’s great to see De Beers making a substantial contribution to the Long John Jamboree, Yellowknife’s signature winter event.” 

De Beers Head of External and Corporate Affairs Tom Ormsby said it was important for De Beers to return as the Inspired Ice Title Sponsor in 2017. “De Beers Canada has undergone a major transformation of our business over the last 18 months, which meant we also had to realign our resources to match our priorities’, said Ormsby. “Now that the Gahcho Kué Mine has completed construction and is in the final stages of reaching full production, we are in a better position to identify key community initiatives like the Long John Jamboree that we believe enhance the communities in which we operate’.   

Gahcho Kué Mine General Manager Allan Rodel said the Long John Jamboree and the De Beers Inspired Ice – NWT Ice Carving Competition draws a large number of De Beers employees who live in Yellowknife and the surrounding communities. “Our employees are proud of the community investments we make here in the NWT and they often show their support by attending in person with their families and participating’, said Rodel. “As a Yellowknife resident myself, I look forward to the Jamboree and seeing the amazing ice sculptures that these incredible artists can produce, especially our local carvers’. 

The $25,000 sponsorship by De Beers for 2017 allowed organizers to put together a full program that attracted local, national and international attention on Yellowknife. Long John Jamboree Executive director Michelle Demeule said "The Long John Jamboree is pleased to be partnering with De Beers Canada once again to put on the internationally renowned De Beers Inspired Ice – NWT Ice Carving Championship.  De Beers Inspired Ice is an integral part of the Jamboree and draws viewers of all ages to the site and to Yellowknife to enjoy the amazing artistry of the carvers.  De Beers' contribution to this event and their commitment to Yellowknife and the North is appreciated.

Teams participating in the 2017 De Beers Inspired Ice – NWT Ice Carving Championship will meet in Yellowknife on Wednesday, March 22nd to review the competition rules and visit the Jamboree site on Great Slave Lake. The formal competition will begin on Thursday, March 23 and wrap up with final judging Saturday March 25 in the afternoon. 

Teams confirmed to compete in the 2017 De Beers Inspired Ice Carving Competition include:

• Stephan Koch and Mark Chapin (Indiana & Alaska)
• Peter Slavin and Chris Swarbrick (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania & Minneapolis)
• Chad Hartson & Ed Hutchinson (Napoleon, Ohio & South Carolina)
• Christian Denis and Ritchie Velthuis (Edmonton, Alberta)
• Peter Fogarty and Doug Lindelbach (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
• Larry MacFarlane and Manoj Khorugdharry (Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Ottawa, Ontario)
• Mowafak Nema and Kenny Hayden (Ottawa, Ontario)
• Joel Maillet and JD Hollingshead (Yellowknife, NWT)
• Eli and Desmond Nasogaluak (Yellowknife and Tuktoyaktuk, NWT)
• Derrald Taylor and Bill Nasogaluak (Yellowknife, NWT & Toronto)

For video of the 2015 De Beers Inspired Ice – NWT Carving Competition, click here. For photos and more video of past years, click here.