The annual Spark Nova Scotia startup competition, which offers companies up to $50,000 of non-dilutive funding, has announced the winners for two of its three regional categories: Nova Scotia Southwest and Nova Scotia North. The Cape Breton division has been deferred until Spring.

Now in its ninth year, the Spark program aims to nurture Nova Scotian startups based outside of metro Halifax. The 10 finalists received one-on-one pitch training before the competitions in Bridgewater and New Glasgow.

The winners from the two events are receiving a combined $180,000, and another $90,000 will be distributed in Cape Breton.

“There are some really amazing winners this year,” said Spark spokesperson Sandra Goodwin in an email. “The judges in the North and Southwest said this was the best batch they had seen to date.”

The Spark competition is spearheaded by The Nova Scotia Accociation of  Community Business Development Corporations (local groups that distribute funding to found or grow small businesses), which itself is funded by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

Of the delayed Cape Breton event, Goodwin said, “There were a variety of reasons that led the organizers to move it forward to ensure a dedicated and more meaningful Cape Breton competition.

“The current applicants are still in, and new applicants are welcome to join. We look forward to a great competition once Spring is in the air."

Here’s a look at the winners:

NOVA SCOTIA SOUTHWEST

Axtion Independence Mobility — $50,000

Liam Maaskant

Wolfville

Axtion’s Ibex walker includes a mechanical seat to help mobility-impaired users with day-to-day tasks, as well as with getting up if they fall. A coming second-gen product will also have a hailing function.

VITIS Vines — $40,000

Thomas Gregoire

Kentville

VITIS has developed a culture material for plant tissue to supply virus-free grape vines to the vineyard industry, as well as backyard growers. Domestic grape vines are prone to viral infections.

NOVA SCOTIA NORTH

Scient Analytics — $50,000

Masoud Aali

New Glasgow

Scient is developing an artificial intelligence system for identifying the minerals in drilling cores taken during mining exploration.

Hydro Kars — $33,500

Karsten Schmitz

East Petpeswick

Hydro Kars is a kit for retrofitting gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles into hydrogen vehicles, with possible use cases including fleet vehicles and buses.

Divo’s Solutions — $6,500

Divjot Kalsi

Antigonish

Divo’s Solutions is developing a low-cost appliance to help prepare the dough used in roti — a type of Indian flatbread.. Thirteen-year-old Kalsi has also received special permission to apply to Spark again in future because she has not yet developed a working prototype, but received the $6,500 in recognition of the quality of her idea.