Alaska students can propose a name for the Tustumena's replacement ferry

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities opened a statewide essay contest Friday for students in grades 6 through 12 to name the ferry that will replace the MV Tustumena. Entries are due by 5 pm Alaska time Monday, Nov. 23.

State law requires Alaska Marine Highway System vessels to be named for Alaska glaciers, and the names must be set by law. A selection committee will judge entries the week of Nov. 30 and announce one winning essay in December. The department will send the student's proposed name to the Alaska Legislature for its session beginning in January 2027. The name becomes official only if lawmakers enact it into law.

Students can choose from 745 named glaciers on the Alaska State Library's glacier list. Rules and submission instructions are at dot.alaska.gov/nameaferry.

Entries are public records. A student's essay, name, grade, school and community may be released on request, the contest page says, citing Alaska law.

The Tustumena has served the Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island, the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands since 1964. It is the only Alaska Marine Highway System vessel able to reach all 13 ports of call between Homer and Unalaska, according to the system's replacement-vessel page.

"For more than six decades, the Tustumena has connected Alaska's coastal communities, carrying families, vehicles and essential goods," said Ryan Anderson, the department's commissioner. "This contest gives young Alaskans a chance to help name a vessel that will serve the next generation and continue that tradition of connection."

The department awarded the replacement vessel's construction contract Oct. 1, the contest announcement says, without naming the winner. In June the department named Louisiana-based Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors the apparent low bidder at about $350 million, pending a review of its remaining paperwork. Alaska News reported Oct. 2 that the project picked up $32.3 million more in federal money and that the low bid ran $49 million over budget.

In 2022 the department announced a separate $9.4 million project to extend the Tustumena's service life until the replacement enters service.