General eligibility

Who can enter?

Teachers, parents and educators who have creatively used a Space Awareness resource in inspiring young people with space science.  We welcome entries from individuals, groups and/or organisations – just make it clear on your entry form exactly who was involved, so that we can be sure to give you appropriate credit.  We also welcome entries from any part of the world.

Can I base my entry on ANY space-related teaching resource?

No.  This competition is specifically focused on resources relating to the EU-funded Space Awareness project.  You may choose an activity from any one of the following broad categories:

• Educational activity: http://www.space-awareness.org/en/activities/
• Citizen science repository: http://www.space-awareness.org/en/games/
• Space Scoop: http://www.space-awareness.org/en/scoops/
• Careers Hub
  • Interviews: http://www.space-awareness.org/en/careers/#interviews_menu
  • Careers profiles: http://www.space-awareness.org/en/careers/#careers_menu
  • Webinars: http://www.space-awareness.org/en/careers/#webinars_menu
  • Teaching materials: http://www.space-awareness.org/en/careers/#teaching_material_menu

What languages is the competition open to?

See list of National Contest Organisers and languages here.

What do I do if my country isn’t listed within the National Contest Organisers?

If there is no national contest in your home country then you can choose for your entry to be considered within the appropriate language contest, or you can alternatively choose to enter the English-language global contest (see list of National Contest Organisers).

I work as an educator within an organisation linked to Space Awareness or Space Scoop.  Am I eligible to enter the competition?

Representatives from organisations who are official partners (members of the management group) within the Space Awareness project are not eligible to apply. Educators from dissemination nodes (both formal and informal) and other related organisations who have an association with the Space Awareness (or Space Scoop) project can enter the English-language global contest.  Such participants are not eligible for their own national competition due to potential conflict of interest.

Judging process and prizes

How will the judging process work?

The entries will be considered at two stages:

1. National contests, organised by volunteers involved in space outreach activities in each country. Where there is no national contest, individuals, groups or organisations from anywhere in the world can submit in English and enter the “global contest” which will be organised by University College London (UCL). There will be one winner and one runner up in each of these contests.
2. The winner per category from the national contest (plus the winner per category from the global contest) will be entered into the international final. These winning entries will be translated into English and judged by an international panel of judges including space science experts and education specialists, e.g. from the European Space Agency (ESA).

What are the criteria used in the judging process?

The criteria for the awards are:

• Impact and evidence – Did your participants experience a change of view, and how important was this change? 
• Alignment with Space Awareness – to what extent has the entry built on the chosen Space Awareness resource?
• Creativity and innovation – how have you incorporated the resource into your classroom, home or other educational environment?
• Sharing good practice – clear advice points and learning tips to help other teachers, parents and educators take a similar approach in the future
• Suitability for a specific target group – we particularly encourage entries which demonstrate success in engaging traditionally under-represented groups in space careers (e.g. girls, ethnic minorities and/or reaching children and young people from relatively disadvantaged socio-economic communities).

What are the prizes?

The international final winner will receive:

• Quality Lighting Teaching Kit. to increase student and public awareness of light pollution issues and “quality lighting” solutions.
• Space Awareness Climate Box educational kit, which contains a suite of activities targeted at advancing learning about the Earth’s climate, different measuring techniques and climate change.
• Rosetta toy. The Rosetta plush toy is 33 cm high, 16 cm deep, and a whopping 95.5 centimetres wide! Little Philae sits on its partner Rosetta and together they have traversed our Solar System on a 12 year long mission to study comet 67P.

The international final runner-up will receive:

• Space Awareness Climate Box educational kit, which contains a suite of activities targeted at advancing learning about the Earth’s climate, different measuring techniques and climate change.
• Rosetta toy. The Rosetta plush toy is 33 cm high, 16 cm deep, and a whopping 95.5 centimetres wide! Little Philae sits on its partner Rosetta and together they have traversed our Solar System on a 12 year long mission to study comet 67P.

The national contest winners will receive:

• Firstcope telescope. This quality Dobsonian style telescope features a 76 mm aperture reflector optical tube. FirstScope is an ideal entry level astronomical telescope to use in schools.
• Space Awareness teacher resource kit.

The national contest runner upwill receive:

• Space Awareness teacher resource kit.

All elegible participants will also receive recognition badges and certificates for schools & individuals, and the publication of the finalist submissions on the Space Awareness website.

Planning your entry

Can I submit more than one entry?

Yes!  You can enter the competition as many times as you like.  Just make sure it’s clear on each entry form which resource each entry relates to.  If you are submitting any separate supporting evidence for your entries, again please be very clear regarding which entries which elements of evidence relate to.

Why is there a focus on the two stated prize categories? [A. Inspiring young people from diverse backgrounds with space science & B. Supporting young people to be aware of and choose space-related careers]

These are key areas of priority, both within the Space Awareness project specifically, but also for the European Commission (who have funded this project) more generally.

Can I submit a more general entry regarding creative space science teaching that doesn’t relate to either of the specific prize categories?

Unfortunately no.  At this stage we are only focusing on the two prize categories specified.  However we will do our best to keep you informed of any other opportunities to showcase your work through other routes.

Should I include pictures and/or other supporting evidence with my entry submission?

Yes!  The judges will really like to see pictures (e.g. of student comments, the Space Awareness resources in action within your classroom, student work produced as a result of the activity), so please do include them.  Please note that as part of the terms & conditions of entry you MUST have permission to include any photographs, especially parental permission in the case of young people. 

You can include any pictures within your entry form itself, or send them separately.

I don’t have any pictures to submit with my entry.  Will I be disadvantaged?

No.  You can still tell a great story within your entry form about how the resource worked in your classroom and what you achieved.

What should I do if my supporting evidence is too large to submit via email?

We suggest you upload any larger files  to a file repository (such as Dropbox, Google Drive, WeTransfer or similar), then send us the link to the file repository by including the link in your text for Q8, Q9 or Q10 in the competition form.  Be sure to mention within the email which entry such evidence relates to, and that within any correspondence please clearly state which competition (see list of National Contest Organisers) you are planning to submit your entry to. 

[Note that the repositories mentioned here are indicative only, and the competition organisers do not recommend any particular company or product above others.]

Can I submit my entry after the deadline?

No.  We have a very tight turnaround between entries closing and the judging being completed, so unfortunately the deadline is very strict.

Who can I contact if I have more questions?

Send us an email: euspaceawe-teachers@eschoolnet.org

Note: within any correspondence please clearly state which national-level contest (see list of National Contest Organisers below) you are planning to submit your entry to, so that we can ensure your entry or enquiry reaches the right people.

Entry Form

What if my entry aligns to both prize categories (Q5)?

You may tick both options, and your entry will be considered by the judges within both categories.  However in general we would advise that you select one category only, as it is likely to be easier for you to prepare a stronger submission if you focus your efforts on one prize category only.

What is the purpose of Q6 (describing the context)?

This question helps the judges to understand the context in which you are working. In some cases this may assist in explaining why the outcomes you have achieved are so impressive, or what difficulties you face within your local environment.  It also gives you an opportunity to provide a sense of the young people who were involved.  There is no need to answer ALL of the prompt statements indicated, however please do mention anything that you think is particularly relevant for the judges to know about the context in which you were working.

How do I answer Q7 (what were the main outcomes achieved) if I feel that I achieved more than 3 from the list specified?  Will the judges consider my entry more positively if I tick more of the boxes?

No!  It is much better to focus your outcomes here, rather than tick many of the different boxes.  In Q8 & Q9 you are asked to explain what you did, and provide evidence to support your claim to have achieved these outcomes.  If you select more than 3 outcomes then it will be very difficult for you to provide sufficient in-depth evidence within the space available on the entry form.  Try to identify up to 3 outcomes that you feel were the strongest, or perhaps the most surprising / unusual for the group of young people you were working with. 

[Hint: you could also look at the judging criteria to see if that helps steer which outcomes might be most relevant to mention]

What is the purpose of Q8 (what did you do)?

This question gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your creativity and innovation – the steps you took to implement your chosen Space Awareness resource in order to achieve the outcomes you have specified.  Don’t just repeat the instructions contained within your chosen resource; tell us about any adaptations you made, especially any efforts you took to ensure that the resources were suitable for working across diverse backgrounds within the young people you worked with.