What is the International Laboratory Freezer Challenge?
The International Laboratory Freezer Challenge (Freezer Challenge) is a competition designed to promote best practices in cold storage management. The Freezer Challenge covers all forms of cold storage, including refrigerators, freezers, and cold rooms. Labs participating in the challenge will be asked to submit an online score sheet.
Who can participate in the Freezer Challenge?
Any laboratories in the world can participate by signing up at freezerchallenge.org. Laboratories are defined as a group of people and their physical space working under one manager, researcher, or scientific mission.
When will the Freezer Challenge take place?
The 2023 Freezer Challenge will begin January 1, 2023 and continue until July 1, 2023. Scoresheets will be due by midnight PST on July 1, 2023. Labs are encouraged to work at their own pace to complete the Freezer Challenge during the intervening months.
It's after January and I just found out about the Freezer Challenge....can I still participate?
Absolutely! We have many labs that register for the competition in February, March, April, May, even June. You can count any actions on your 2023 scoresheet that your lab has done since August 1, 2022, so if you cleaned out samples, defrosted units, updated inventories, or any of the other best practices from August 2022 until now, you can count those on your scoresheet. Therefore, there is no disadvantage to registering after January for the competition. Go for it!
What are the benefits of participating in the Freezer Challenge?
Freezer Challenge participants will benefit from:
I accidentally submitted my score sheet before it was completed - help!
No problem! Email us with "reopen scoresheet" in the subject line and let us know that you need access to your scoresheet again.
How is the Freezer Challenge scored?
Labs will receive points for taking the actions listed under Best Practices part of the website, which mirror the Freezer Challenge scoresheet. In the vast majority of cases, each action per cold storage unit is worth 1 point unless otherwise described on the scoresheet. For actions that also have an energy savings component, we also estimate kwh/day saved. For the 2023 Freezer Challenge, once you submit your scoresheet, you will receive a preliminary estimate of your energy savings. The Freezer Challenge is scored by looking at a combination of factors, including points earned, kWh saved, points earned per cold storage unit, and kWh saved per cold storage unit. The goal is to reward the labs and organizations that have earned the most points and saved the most energy through the Challenge. New this year, we have a more in-depth explanation of scoring methods, which you can find on this page.
Are there Awards for winning the Freezer Challenge?
Yes! Learn more on our main Awards page.
The International Laboratory Freezer Challenge (Freezer Challenge) is a competition designed to promote best practices in cold storage management. The Freezer Challenge covers all forms of cold storage, including refrigerators, freezers, and cold rooms. Labs participating in the challenge will be asked to submit an online score sheet.
Who can participate in the Freezer Challenge?
Any laboratories in the world can participate by signing up at freezerchallenge.org. Laboratories are defined as a group of people and their physical space working under one manager, researcher, or scientific mission.
When will the Freezer Challenge take place?
The 2023 Freezer Challenge will begin January 1, 2023 and continue until July 1, 2023. Scoresheets will be due by midnight PST on July 1, 2023. Labs are encouraged to work at their own pace to complete the Freezer Challenge during the intervening months.
It's after January and I just found out about the Freezer Challenge....can I still participate?
Absolutely! We have many labs that register for the competition in February, March, April, May, even June. You can count any actions on your 2023 scoresheet that your lab has done since August 1, 2022, so if you cleaned out samples, defrosted units, updated inventories, or any of the other best practices from August 2022 until now, you can count those on your scoresheet. Therefore, there is no disadvantage to registering after January for the competition. Go for it!
What are the benefits of participating in the Freezer Challenge?
Freezer Challenge participants will benefit from:
- Reducing energy consumption, costs, and environmental impact of the lab
- Learning and applying proper cold storage maintenance techniques to help avoid future failures
- Removal of unneeded or unviable samples from cold storage units, freeing up that space for new samples without having to purchase additional refrigerators and freezers.
- Reduced costs associated with maintaining extraneous cold storage units.
- Improved researcher access to and security for viable samples.
- Development of ongoing cold storage management practices that support efficiency and maximize lab space utility.
- Participation recognition, plus awards!
I accidentally submitted my score sheet before it was completed - help!
No problem! Email us with "reopen scoresheet" in the subject line and let us know that you need access to your scoresheet again.
How is the Freezer Challenge scored?
Labs will receive points for taking the actions listed under Best Practices part of the website, which mirror the Freezer Challenge scoresheet. In the vast majority of cases, each action per cold storage unit is worth 1 point unless otherwise described on the scoresheet. For actions that also have an energy savings component, we also estimate kwh/day saved. For the 2023 Freezer Challenge, once you submit your scoresheet, you will receive a preliminary estimate of your energy savings. The Freezer Challenge is scored by looking at a combination of factors, including points earned, kWh saved, points earned per cold storage unit, and kWh saved per cold storage unit. The goal is to reward the labs and organizations that have earned the most points and saved the most energy through the Challenge. New this year, we have a more in-depth explanation of scoring methods, which you can find on this page.
Are there Awards for winning the Freezer Challenge?
Yes! Learn more on our main Awards page.
What is the Freezer Challenge registration deadline?
Online access to the 2023 Freezer Challenge scoresheet will begin January 1, 2023 and be ongoing through the end of the Freezer Challenge.
When will 2023 Freezer Challenge Scoresheets become available?
Online scoresheets will be made available to labs that register for the competition after January 1, 2023.
When must Freezer Challenge Score Sheets be completed?
Online Freezer Challenge scoresheets must be completed by midnight July 1, 2023.
Our lab has already done a lot of the actions listed on the score sheet - will we be awarded points for previous actions taken?
In some cases, yes, such as if your ULT freezers are already set to -70 °C. For many scoresheet elements, we ask participants in the 2023 Freezer Challenge to only report actions your lab has done since August 1, 2022. This system of reporting rewards the labs and organizations that have done the most actions in the past year, all the way up to July 1, 2023. Many of the preventative maintenance best practices highlighted by the challenge, as well as sample management strategies, should be done on a regular basis in all laboratories, so we are encouraging that by requesting that labs only record actions they've taken in the previous year.
Who do I contact if I have additional questions?
All questions should be directed to programs@mygreenlab.org.
