South American Space Leadership Award 2025

The South American Space Leadership Award (SA-SLA) aims to recognise SGAC members for their contributions to the space field in the South American region, as well as to provide opportunities to talented individuals to attend the 9th South American Space Generation Workshop (9th SA-SGW) to be held on 28th – 29th November 2025, in Lima, Peru.

Deadline for applications: 31st October 2025, 23:59 UTC-5

Description

Embracing diversity is the cornerstone of SGAC’s principles. The goal of the South American Space Leadership Award is to provide an opportunity for interaction between members of the space sector with diverse geographic and professional backgrounds. The SA-SLA provides funding support for the attendance of delegates who bring unique and insightful firsthand perspectives to the 9th SA-SGW.

Award

The winners will receive an award in order to attend the 9th South American Space Generation Workshop.

This award will cover round-trip travel costs to attend the SA-SGW in Lima, Peru, including:

  • Round-trip (Economy airfare)
  • Accommodation
  • Visa-related expenses (if applicable)

The allocated amount is USD 2,000, which will be divided amongst 3 winners.

The awardees will be presented with a certificate of award during the 9th SA-SGW.

How to Apply

  • Applicants must submit their application for the scholarship through the form available on this webpage.
  • You have to be an SGAC member in order to submit a successful application. 
  • Registration for SGAC membership is free.
  • If you are not an SGAC member, register here. 
  • If you are already an SGAC member and have problems completing specific fields (e.g. date of birth, nationality,…) during registration, try updating your SGAC profile first 
  • Please note: In addition to the scholarship application, you MUST also register to attend the 9th SA-SGW.
    More information about the 9th SA-SGW Registrations can be found here.

Guidelines

Eligibility

The scholarship is open to all students, young professionals, and SA-SGW 2025 organizing team members whose country of residence is in South America (check the SGAC South America Region list to confirm eligibility).

Participants must:

  • Be SGAC members (registration on the SGAC website is free).
  • Be between the ages of 18 and 35 years as of November 27, 2025.
  • Have at least some past contributions to SGAC, such as volunteering, participating in project groups, or attending events.

Not eligible:

  • Scholarship judges.
  • Past winners of the SA-SLA or any other regional award.
  • Applicants who receive support from another source for attending the event (if received midway, SGAC must be informed).

Submission

  • All submissions must be in English
  • Applicants must submit their application through the online form
  • Applicants must upload their CV (PDF format).
  • All submissions must be made by 31st October 2025, 23:59 UTC-5. Late applications will not be considered.

Responsibilities of Winners

The winners shall:

  • Attend the 9th SA-SGW in its entirety.
  • Submit a short report (1 page, excluding pictures) and a short video (1 minute uploaded on YouTube) describing their experience at the event, for use on SGAC’s website, newsletter, or social media.

Reimbursement

  • The award will be reimbursed after the 9th SA-SGW 2025, no later than 30 days after all responsibilities are fulfilled.
  • The reimbursement is conditional on the winner submitting their report and video by 16th December 2025.
  • Applicants are advised not to incur expenses until they have received formal confirmation of the award.
  • Reimbursements will follow the SGAC Scholarships Travel Policy & Reimbursement Guidelines.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

By submitting an entry, applicants agree to allow SGAC to mention their name, affiliation, and headshot picture in connection with the scholarship.

Liability

  • Organizers shall not be responsible in the event the  9th SA-SGW  is canceled. SGAC will not reimburse the award winner, even if he/she has already incurred expenses.
  • Organizers shall not be responsible in the event that the award winner fails to attend the 9th SA-SGW or is unable to under extenuating circumstances; in that case the award offer shall become void.
  • Organizers shall not be responsible in the event that the award winner cannot obtain any necessary travel documents; if they are required but not obtained, the award offer shall become void.
  • The award is not transferable to another event or individual.
  • SGAC encourages travel insurance and the booking of flexible tickets and possibilities to cancel tickets in case of unexpected cancellation or change in plans occurs. 
  • Following the Reimbursement Guidelines, in the event that event or travel cannot take place due to unforeseeable circumstances (force majeure), including but not limited to illness, death, or weather, the Scholarship Holder will be responsible to try to recover costs through any available travel insurance or trip cancellation insurance. SGAC may reimburse the remaining amount not covered by insurance.

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated by a panel composed of SGAC Chairs, Executive Director, Regional Coordinators, Scholarships Team members, and the 9th SA-SGW Organizing Team.

Criteria:

Category

Weight

Contributions to the space sector (research, projects, volunteering, student initiatives, etc.)

20%

Contributions to SGAC (events, project groups, volunteering, willingness to contribute in the future)

30%

Reason to be selected for the SA-SLA (what makes the applicant stand out)

20%

How this opportunity would help the applicant grow in the space sector (career impact, engagement with community)

20%

Unique perspective the applicant brings to SA-SGW (cultural, professional, academic, etc.)

10%

Schedule

  • Entries Open: Now!
  • Submission Deadline: 31st October 2025
  • Review of Applications: 1st November – 10th November 2025
  • Notification of Winners: 11th November 2025

Contact

For any questions, please contact the SGAC Scholarships Team at: [email protected]

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