AIP Co-Founders: Sima Sharifi & Arnold Witzig
Who They Are & Why They Created the Prize
Sima Sharifi and Arnold Witzig are partners in life and in vision, who made Canada their home after years of personal and professional success abroad. Deeply inspired by the people, culture, and spirit of the North, they shared one conviction: the best ideas for the North should be led by Northerners themselves.
Guided by this belief, they founded the Arctic Inspiration Prize in 2012, investing their personal resources to help transform innovative ideas into action. Their mission was to celebrate knowledge sharing, community collaboration, and northern leadership — creating a prize unlike any other in Canada.
Through their dedication, the Prize grew into a northern-owned institution, ensuring that the power to define and celebrate success remains in the hands of those who live in the North. Today, their legacy continues through the Arctic Inspiration Prize Charitable Trust, which supports lasting community impact across the territories and northern regions.
“The North knows best what the North needs. Our role is to help those ideas thrive.”
— Sima Sharifi & Arnold Witzig
Introduction
History of the AIP
Launched in April 2012 during the International Polar Year conference in Montreal, the Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP) was created to recognize and enable teams with innovative, Northern-focused ideas to realize their plans for the benefit of people across the Arctic.
To ensure Northern ownership and long-term sustainability, the AIP Charitable Trust—led by a majority of Northern Trustees—was established in 2016. In 2017, Sima Sharifi and Arnold Witzig dissolved their not-for-profit foundation, transferring all assets to the Trust as a $60 million endowment to permanently fund the prize.
Today, the Rideau Hall Foundation serves as Managing Partner, ensuring that contributions from Co-Owners and Partners directly benefit Laureates in the North.
- 2012 Launch
- $1M+ Annual awards
- $60M Endowment
- For the North
AIP
Over the Years
Since 2012, seed funding and community leadership have helped turn Northern ideas into reality across Canada’s North.
$29 million in seed funding has helped make Northern visions a reality. Combined with $31 million raised from other sources, that’s a total of $60 million invested in AIP Laureates.
Up to 12 Prizes are presented annually on a competitive basis to teams addressing needs identified by Northerners and their communities.
Laureates’ projects have reached nearly every corner of the North—an estimated 80% of communities—touching approximately 40,000 people directly or indirectly.
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Projects77Delivered by Laureate teams
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Total Invested$60M$29M seed + $31M leveraged
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Communities Reached~80%Across Canada’s North
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People Impacted~40kDirectly or indirectly
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Art Pieces77Commissioned for Laureates
Project Categories
- 9 in the 1 Million Category
- 43 in the AIP Category
- 25 in the Youth Category
October 2025 • Northern-led outcomes and community impact
A project can be delivered in multiple regions.
