Spark Tank competition announced Published Sept. 21, 2017 Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs NATIONAL HARBOR (AFNS) -- Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson kicked off the Air Force’s Spark Tank competition during the Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference Sept. 18, 2017. The competition calls for Airmen to pitch their innovative ideas to the Air Force’s senior leaders through the Airmen Powered by Innovation portal and culminates in a showcase of those ideas in Orlando, Fla. early next year at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium. “Airmen will be able to compete and pitch their ideas to increase the lethality of the force, and to reduce the cost of bringing power to the fight,” Wilson said. The Spark Tank competition, which is co-hosted between the API program and the newly-announced AFwerX innovation ecosystem, will be conducted in a multi-step approach starting with participants submitting their idea through the API website. Each major command will select two innovative ideas from within their commands to compete at the headquarters level. Enlisted, officer and government employees will be eligible to compete in the Spark Tank competition. Additional submission details will be released soon.