AN ACADEMIC COMPETITION FOR GLOBAL LEARNERS ⋆ Phoenix Space

Phoenix Space LaunchPad Challenge

An academic competition for global learners

The Phoenix Space LaunchPad Challenge offers upper high/secondary school and lower-level undergraduate university students the opportunity to develop and present a creative, idea-based solution to a space science-themed problem. This competition affords students an opportunity to apply their classroom learning and research to solving scientific challenges, leverage creativity, and develop presentation and teamwork skills while connecting to and competing against a global community of like-minded students who have an interest in space science.

The 2022 Challenge:
How do we address a problem related to human habitation of Mars

Working in teams of up to three, students will identify and define a problem statement from one of the topic areas related to human habitation of Mars and develop a logic-driven, researched solution to the chosen problem.

A Little Help From Our Friends

What non-human organism is necessary for the success of the Mars community and how will it be managed?

An Eye In The Sky

How might a fleet of ten autonomous drones be used to assist the settlement?

What Do We Want To Learn?

Propose an experiment that can be performed on Mars that will answer questions that we can’t answer from Earth.

Martian Space Trash

How might we manage orbiting space debris around Mars?

Joining the Martian Community

What strategies would you employ to quickly integrate new pioneers into an existing Mars community?

THE BASICS

WHAT

The Phoenix Space LaunchPad Challenge is an academic competition in which learners develop creative solutions to a space-themed problem.

WHO

Entry is available to learners around the world aged 15-19. They will form teams of up to 3 to develop and present a solution. Each team may also have a mentor to guide their approach.

WHEN

Initial entries are due by September 10th.

There are three rounds to the competition

ROUND 1

Each team submits their initial written entry and a brief video for review.

ROUND 2

Semi-finalists revise and create a more in-depth presentation.

ROUND 3

5 finalists present their solution live via webinar to the judging panel.

A Grand Prize of US$3,000 is awarded to the winning team, and each of the other four finalist teams will receive a US$1,000 prize.

Entries will be judged and scored by a panel of international academics and scientists based on the following categories:

Problem identification

The originality of the solution

Comprehensiveness of research

Feasibility of the solution

Critical evaluation of the solution

Effectiveness of communication

why participate?

There are many reasons to be a part of the LaunchPad Challenge!

Put your hard-earned knowledge to use.
Gain valuable experience researching and evaluating information.
Refine your communication skills.
Pick up advanced knowledge in your chosen topic area.
Get an excellent resumé/CV item to discuss when applying for universities/colleges.
Compete against peers from around the world.
Gain experience working in a team.
Finalists will put their public speaking skills to the test by presenting and defending their ideas.
The opportunity to win US $3,000!
The winner will get the opportunity to have a one on one call with a renowned scientist based on your area of interest, organized by Phoenix Space.

TIMELINE

Late April 2022

The LaunchPad Challenge opened for team registration and entry submission.
Late April until September 10

Registrations and initial submissions are accepted. The initial submission is a 4-5 page written solution and a short video.
October 4

Semi-finalists will be announced.
October 5-19

Semi-finalist teams refine their solution and create a more in depth presentation for judges to review.
October 19

Deadline for semi-finalists to submit their final solution presentation.
October 20-28

Judges review semi-finalists 2nd submissions and select the finalists.
October 31

5 finalists are announced.
November 7

Finalists will give a 15 minute live virtual presentation to the judging panel, followed by a brief Q&A session.
November 10

Winners are announced and prizes awarded.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

GATHER A CREW

Create a team of up to 3 members. Students can also compete by themselves (but hey…it will be a lot more fun working in a team!). Entrants must be 15 to 19 years old at any point between April 30 and November 10, 2022. Teams can choose to have a mentor, if they wish. Check out the full details on eligibility and mentors.

Pick a Topic Area

Decide on an area of focus. You’ll research and define a specific problem within your chosen area, and then develop a solution to that problem.

Register

Tell us about your team and topic. You can also submit your entry when you register, if you wish. Or you can wait until later to submit the entry.

Get to Work

Conduct research to identify a specific problem to develop a solution for. Then, create an idea-based solution and prepare the initial written entry and a brief video. Those will be submitted in English. Full details on how to structure and format your entry are here.

Submit the Entry

You’ll submit your entry through our website (if you didn’t submit it when you registered). We will send the submission page link to registered teams. The deadline for initial entries is September 10, 2022.

POWERED BY

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Be sure to sign up for Phoenix Space emails so you can receive LaunchPad Challenge updates and other Phoenix Space news.