Applications are open for the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Space4Youth Competition 2025. This year, students and young professionals are invited to share innovative ideas on how the global space community can create more inclusive opportunities for young people, support youth development, and establish accessible pathways to space-related resources. The authors of the best 5 essays will be provided with a trip to the United States to meet with representatives of the U.S. space sector and attend an Adult Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Topic of the Competition

“Empowering Youth for the Future of Space: Inclusive Opportunities, Skills Development, and Accessible Pathways”

This year’s theme asks young participants to propose ideas that could lead to:

• Better access to space-related opportunities, be they in education, training, internships or employment for young people from all backgrounds, especially in underrepresented regions.
• Partnerships and programs that could inspire, train, and equip young professionals to enter the fast-evolving space sector.
• Policy recommendations that promote inclusivity across all nations, backgrounds and economic circumstances and support emerging young professionals in the space industry.

Participants should submit an abstract presenting their vision for a more accessible and inclusive space sector. The ideas could range from policy initiatives, educational reforms, international collaborations, to technological solutions that make space resources and opportunities more reachable for youth. 

Award

• The U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna will support this year’s Space4Youth competition by providing the authors of the best 5 essays with a trip to the United States to meet with representatives of the U.S. space sector and attend an Adult Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.*
• The 5 best essays will be uploaded on the UNOOSA “Space for Youth” webpage.
• The authors of the best 5 essays may be invited to attend other international events.

*Confirmation and satisfaction of U.S. visa approval will be required. Expenses will be covered by the U.S. Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna.

Eligibility

• Open to all students and young professionals from any Member State of the United Nations.
• All participants shall be of the age between 18 and 35 inclusive (up to the day of their 36th birthday) on 28 February 2025.
• The competition is open to individuals – no team submissions are allowed.
• Competition organizers and judges are not eligible for the competition.
• The United Nations encourages all qualified applicants, regardless of gender, disability, sexual orientation, cultural or religious backgrounds, to apply.
• Priority will be given to participants from developing countries.

Guidelines

• Any submissions after the deadline will not be considered. In case of lack of quality of submissions, the Selection Committee reserves the right to extend and, or cancel the competition.
• The abstract will be submitted through the Space for Youth Competition Form.
• The essay should be submitted as a PDF document under 5 MB. The name of the file should be “Name_Surname_Space4Youth Competition”. Make sure the title of the file includes your name and surname.
• The abstracts and the essay must be written in English.
• The abstract and essay should include a title.
• The abstract should not exceed 100 words.
• The essay should not exceed 1,000 words, bibliography excluded.
• Do not attach any images or pictures to your essay as this will prevent OOSA from sharing it on the “Space for Youth” webpage.
• The font used should be Times New Roman with a 12-font size.
• For references, please use the Chicago referencing style. Copying the work of others without appropriate attribution to its source will result in the loss of points and/or disqualification. Failure to properly acknowledge sources may constitute plagiarism. Provide links for researched information and facts that you include. The bibliography does not count in the 1,000 words.
• The use of any sort of AI tool is strictly forbidden. 
• The text may draw examples from organizations, companies or other entities, but it cannot promote or advertise them.
• Provide definitions for technical terms you use.

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation criteria of the abstract/essay are: 

• Relevance of topic 
• Coherent and sound reasoning 
• Clear structure
• Grammar and sentence structure
• Feasibility of idea
• Originality of idea

Application

The competition is structured in two phases:

• Applicants submit an abstract of maximum 100 words and fill in the online application form here by 8 December 2024.
• If the abstract is positively evaluated, the applicant will be asked to submit an essay of maximum 1,000 words, to be based on the previously submitted abstract.

For more information, visit Space4Youth Competition.