On May 2nd, 1972 fire broke out in the Sunshine Mine, near Kellogg, Idaho, USA. At the time 178 miners were working in the mine. Carbon Monoxide, heat, and smoke spread quickly through the tunnels, hampering efforts of rescue workers. Initially, 85 miners escaped safely and two more were rescued seven days later. On May 13, the last of the 91 victims were brought out. The tragedy was the country's worst hard rock mining disaster since 1917. A miner's day ceremony is held on the second day of May each year to honour the men who died at the Sunshine Mine.

The International Collegiate Mining Competition started in 1978, more than 25 years ago, in honour and remembrance of the fallen miners from the Sunshine mine as well as all miners who have perished in the line of duty. The goal of the competition is to keep the old-fashioned mining techniques alive, as well as strengthen the camaraderie of the mining students of today. Being the largest event of its kind in the world, it is highly competitive, and there is a great amount of prestige for the winners. In the past, universities and colleges from all over the United States of America, Mexico, Canada and Australia have been represented in the competition. The competition consists of seven events and is historically held over the Easter weekend. There are divisions in the competition for men's (open), women's and co-ed teams, and it is a fierce fight for the top few places.

The seven events in the competition are airleg drilling, gold panning, hand bogging (mucking), hand steeling (hammer and tap), timber sawing, surveying and trackstand. Points are assigned to each team in each event according to place of finish, and the lowest cumulative score at the end of all seven events is the overall winner. Plaques are awarded to the top finishers in each event, and a traveling trophy is awarded to the team who finishes first place overall. There are also various traveling trophies for first placed teams in individual events. In the past the competition has been dominated by teams such as the Mackay School of Mines (Reno, NV), Missouri School of Mines (Rolla, MO), Montana Tech (Butte, MT), and the Western Australian School of Mines (Kalgoorlie, Western Australia). The competition runs over two days, with around thirty teams from fifteen to twenty universities competing across all divisions.

The professional and local involvement in the International Mining Competition is substantial. Mining and service companies, along with professional bodies such as the Society of Mining Engineers (SME), Australian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy (AusIMM) sponsor the competition each year. The competition is attended by anywhere from hundreds to thousands of people each year, depending on the location and promotional efforts of the hosting university. Each year there is media coverage ranging from local papers to nationally televised news programs and professional journals.

Schools/Countries That Have Competed

America

• Mackay school of Mines (UNR)
• Montana Tech (MT)
• Colorado School of Mines (CSM)
• Virginia Tech (VT)
• University of Rolla-Missouri (UMR)
• University of Alaska-Fairbanks
• University of Utah
• University of Arizona
• UMR Ladies & WASM
• University of South Dakota
• University of Idaho
• Michigan Tech (MTU)
• University of Wisconsin
• New Mexico Tech

Canada

• University of Queens
• University of British Columbia

Australia

• WASM Wombats
• WASM Bentley
• University of Ballarat
• University of Queensland
• Curtin University
• University of Wollongong
• University of New South Wales
• University of South Australia

England

• Camborne School of Mines

Past Competition Results

Year	Host School	Winners
1979		University of Arizona
1980		Montana Tech
1981		Montana Tech
1982		Montana Tech
1983		Montana Tech
1984		Montana Tech
1985		Mackay School of Mines
1986		Mackay School of Mines
1987		University of Rolla/Missouri
1988		University of Utah
1989		University of Rolla/Missouri
1989		University of Alaska. Fairbanks
1990		Montana Tech
1991		Montana Tech
1992		Montana Tech
1993		Montana Tech
1994		University of Rolla/Missouri
1995	UMR, Rolla, Missouri	University of Rolla/Missouri
1996	Montana Tech, Butte, Montana	University of Rolla/Missouri
1997	South Dakota Tech, Dakota	Mackay School of Mines
1998	UMR, Rolla, Missouri	Mackay School of Mines
1999	Mackay, Reno, Nevada	Mackay School of Mines
2000	Montana Tech, Butte, Montana	WASM Wombats
2001	Mackay, Reno, Nevada	WASM Wombats
2002	WASM Wombats, Kalgoorlie, W.A.	WASM Wombats
2003	UMR, Rolla, Missouri	WASM Wombats
2004	Montana Tech, Butte, Montana	University of Rolla/Missouri
2005	Mackay, Reno, Nevada	University of Rolla/Missouri
2006	WASM Wombats, Kalgoorlie, W.A.	WASM Wombats
2007	University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona	Mackay School of Mines