NSS Gerard K. O’Neill Space Settlement Contest - 2025
Posted by Olympiad Tester on
Submissions are now open for the NSS Gerard K. O’Neill Space Settlement Contest. The deadline to submit entries is February 15, 2025.
About the Contest
Established in 1994, this annual contest invites students up to 12th grade to develop projects focused on free space settlements. Inspired by Professor O’Neill’s original thought experiment, students can submit designs, original research, essays, models, artwork, and other materials.
The settlements should not be based on planets or moons but can include support activities like mining. Settlements must be designed as permanent homes, not temporary camps.
Contest Categories
Participants can enter in the following categories:
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7th grade and younger: individual, small group (2-5), large group (6-12)
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8th grade: individual, small group, large group
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9th grade: individual, small group, large group
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10th grade: individual, small group, large group
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11th grade: individual, small group, large group
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12th grade: individual, small group, large group
Prizes
The best overall submission will win the grand prize and be featured on the contest website. Additionally, the highest-ranking entry whose participant attends the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) will receive the Herman Rubin Memorial Scholarship of $5,000 and will deliver a presentation at the conference.
Other prizes include certificates for all winners, and top entries in Artistic and Literary Merit categories will each receive a $500 scholarship.
Contest Rules
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Submissions must focus on free space settlements and cannot be located on planets or moons.
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Projects can cover any aspect of space settlement, including infrastructure, economic, or social issues.
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Submissions should be a maximum of 50 pages, with a primary PDF file required for all entries.
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Up to 10 supplementary attachments are allowed, each no larger than 24 MB.
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All submissions must be the student's original work, and plagiarism is strictly prohibited.
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Students may receive guidance from mentors, but the content must be entirely student-produced.
How to Register
Participants can register through the provided link.
Submission Deadline
Entries must be submitted electronically by February 15, 2025, at 2:00 AM PST.
For more information, visit the official notification of the NSS Gerard K. O'Neill Space Settlement Contest.