Any type of laboratory is eligible to participate by working at its own pace to implement optimal cold storage management practices that save energy. Participating labs from the Illinois campus will receive special recognition from iSEE at the annual Sustainability Week Celebration and find themselves one-step ahead toward Green Lab certification, a proposed program being discussed on campus and at iSEE. Participation in the International Freezer Challenge for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, & 2023 all led to first place wins, allowing the University of Illinois' team to be featured in both Nature Magazine and Lab Manager Magazine! This years competition is going on between now and July 2024, with completed score sheets due by July 1st.