[SGC/IAC 2021] ESA Diversity Scholarship

The European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) has organised the ESA – SGAC Diversity Scholarship. This video/essay scholarship is a great opportunity for students and young professionals from emerging countries to share their views on diversity and ESA.

Application deadline: 1st September 2021, 23:59 GMT

Description

This scholarship will award students and young professionals from emerging countries to attend the 19th Space Generation Congress (SGC) and the 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC) on 21 – 23 October and 25 – 29 October, 2021 respectively in Dubai, UAE.

Participants are asked to submit a 1 minute (max) video, their CV and a 500 word (max) essay.

Video

The video must be focused on answering 

• What diversity means for participants (in a single sentence only)
• What can diversity in space do for society today and in preparation for the future?

The video will be judged on content and message, rather than visuals. Applicants should be visible in the video.

Essay

The essay must be on the same topic as the video.

CV

The CV must contain a date of birth and a headshot photo.

Award

The winner of the scholarship will receive an award in order to attend the following events:

• 19th Space Generation Congress (SGC): 21 – 23 October 2021
• 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC): 25 – 29 October 2021

The award will include provisions for travel, accommodation, and registration for SGC and IAC. The total amount of the scholarship is €2000.

SGAC and ESA reserve the right to make a decision based on applicant information when making award decisions. The winner has to take responsibility for additional expenses. The scholarship is provided to the winner after all activities and responsibilities are satisfied.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your complete application using the Scholarships Submission Form (A file with the form has been sent only to SGC accepted delegates). 

Please submit your essay as unlocked PDF files. Your name should be included at the top of all pages. Your submission should follow the competition guidelines below.

Your applications will need to include:

• 500 words essay written in English.
• CV
• Link to the video

Guidelines

Eligibility

1. The competition is open to only selected delegates of SGC 2021
2. All individuals shall be SGAC members between the ages of 18 to 35 inclusive (up to the day of their 36th birthday) on 16 October 2020.
3. The scholarship is open for all students and young professionals with nationality or residence in an ESA Member State or ESA Associate Member State. (ESA MS and AMS: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom; Canada and Slovenia).
4. The competition is open to individuals.
5. Competition organizers and judges are not eligible for this award.
6. Winners should not receive support from any other source to attend SGC and IAC. Should the winners receive such support midway through the program, SGAC should be informed and a solution will be sought.

Submission

1. The video, CV and essay shall be submitted via the Scholarships Submission Form.
2. The language of all submissions shall be English.
3. The essay is due as an unlocked PDF document under 5 MB.
4. In case of a lack of quality of submissions, SGAC has the right to extend and or cancel the competition.

Responsibilities of the Winners

The winning author shall:

• Attend the entire SGC 2021.
• Attend the entire IAC 2021.
• Support the running of SGC 2021 and the SGAC booth. These tasks offer great opportunities such as being the rapporteur of an SGC working group and helping with writing a group report, being the front face of SGAC at the SGAC booth and meeting interesting people.
• Submit a short report (2 pages excluding pictures) and a short video (1 minute) describing the winner’s experience at SGC 2021 and IAC 2021 for inclusion on the SGAC website, newsletter or social media and that of our partner. The report and video shall describe the experience of the winner at the events. For example, speakers that were particularly interesting, group discussions that stood out or other event highlights.

All responsibilities shall be fulfilled and reports etc. submitted no later than 30th of November 2021. In case the scholarship awardee does not complete the scholarship requirements on time, the scholarship funds will be transferred to SGAC general budget to continue supporting the mission and work of SGAC. 

Reimbursement

1. The award will be paid out after the SGC / IAC 2021, no later than 30 days after fulfilment of all responsibilities listed above.
2. The scholarship award reimbursement is conditioned on the awardee fulfilling the scholarship requirements no later than 30th November 2021.
3. In case applicants or the winning author receive funding for SGC 2021 and/or IAC 2021 by any other organization, the Scholarships Coordinators shall be informed. If the applicants don’t inform the Scholarships Coordinators, SGAC holds the right not to reimburse the winning author. SGAC aims to reduce the number of double scholarships and will work with the winners to develop a solution in these cases.
4. Applicants are advised not to engage in any expenses until they have formal confirmation that the competition has been awarded. The SGAC is not liable for any expenses incurred by applicants in any case where a competition is not awarded, or in excess of the value of the awarded grant.
5. Reimbursements will follow the SGAC Scholarships Travel Policy & Reimbursement Guidelines. Please make sure to consult the Guidelines before incurring in expenses.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

1. By submitting an entry, applicants agree to permit SGAC and all affiliated organizers to mention their names, affiliations and headshot picture in connection with the competition.
2. Copyright of the submitted entry shall remain with the contestants. However, by submitting an entry all contestants agree that SGAC and all affiliated organizers are granted non-exclusive reproduction rights regarding all submitted papers. SGAC and all affiliated organizers may also present ideas and findings generated by this competition at relevant conferences.

Liability

1. Organizers shall not be responsible in the event that SGC 2021 and/or IAC 2021 is cancelled. SGAC will not reimburse the winning author, even if he/she has already incurred expenses.
2. Organizers shall not be responsible in the event that the award winner fails to attend SGC 2021 and/or IAC 2021 or is unable to under extenuating circumstances; in that case the award offer shall become void.
3. 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.

Schedule

Contact

For any questions, please refer to SGAC Scholarships Coordinators ([email protected]).

If you or your organisation is interested in providing talented students and young professionals with the opportunity to share their work and ideas with the global space community, please contact SGAC Scholarships Coordinators (contact above).

Past Winners

2018: Chris Ogunlesi, Katherine Pangalos, Kwasi Nkansah

2017: Didunoluwa Obilanade

2016: Angeliki Papadimitriou