Middle East Space Leader Award 2023

The Middle East Space Leader Award (ME-SLA) aims to recognise SGAC members for their contributions to the space field in the SGAC region of the Middle East as well as to provide opportunities to talented individuals to attend the 2nd Middle East – Space Generation Workshop (2nd ME-SGW) to be held on 6th and 7th September 2023, in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Description

Embracing diversity is the cornerstone of SGAC’s principles. The goal of the Middle East Space Leaders Award is to provide an opportunity for interaction between members of the space sector with diverse geographic and professional backgrounds. The ME-SLA provides funding support for the attendance of international delegates who bring unique and insightful firsthand perspectives to the 2nd ME-SGW.

Award

The winners will receive an award in order to attend the 2nd Middle East Space Generation Workshop.

This award will cover round-trip travel costs to attend the Middle East Space Generation Workshop in the Kingdom of Bahrain via economy airfare, accommodation, and visa costs. Please also review the SGAC reimbursement form for what would be covered. The allocated amount of this award is USD2,000 which will be split amongst 3 winners.

The awardees will be presented with a certificate of award during the 2nd ME-SGW.

How to Apply

Applicants will submit their application for the scholarship on the form below. Please note, in addition to the scholarship form, you must also complete a registration to attend the 2nd ME-SGW.  You can find more information about the 2nd ME-SGW: here

Guidelines

Eligibility

  1. The scholarship is open to all students, organizing team members, and young professionals whose country of residence is in the Middle East (Please, check the SGAC Middle East Region to make sure your country is on the list). Participants must be SGAC members (registered on the SGAC website) between the age of 18 and 35 years as of the 21st of September 2023.
  2. To be eligible, applicants should have had at least some past contributions to SGAC, as volunteers, or attending SGAC events.
    • Examples of contributions include: attending SGAC events, being a member of an SGAC event team, working with SGAC project groups or being a member of the SGAC team including RCs, NPoCs, Executive Office.
  3. Scholarship judges are ineligible for the award.
  4. Past winners of the ME-SLA or any regional awards are ineligible for this award.
  5. Winners should not receive support from any other source for the event. Should winners receive such support midway through the program, SGAC shall be informed and a solution will be sought.

Submission

  1. The language of all submissions must be English.
  2. Applicants will submit their application through the form at the bottom of the page.
  3. CVs can be submitted via Word document or pdf file uploaded in the application form.
  4. All submissions must be made by 13th August, 23:59 GMT. Any submissions after the deadline will not be considered.

Responsibilities of Winners

  1. The winner shall:
    • Attend the 2nd ME-SGW in its entirety
    • Submit a short report (1 page, excluding pictures) and a short video (1 minute uploaded onto YouTube) for inclusion on the SGAC website, newsletter or social media and that of our partners. The report and video shall describe the experience of the winner at the 2nd ME-SGW. For example, speakers that were particularly interesting, group discussions that stood out or other event highlights.

Reimbursement

  1. The award will be paid out after the ME-SGW 2023, no later than 30 days after fulfillment of all responsibilities listed above.
  2. The scholarship award reimbursement is conditioned on the awardee fulfilling the scholarship requirements not later than 21st October 2023.
  3. In case applicants receive funding for the 2nd ME-SGW from any other organization, the Scholarships Coordinators shall be informed. If the applicants don’t inform the Scholarships Coordinators, SGAC holds the right to not 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 to not 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 expenses.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

  1. By submitting an entry, applicants agree to permit SGAC to mention their names, affiliations, and headshot picture in connection with the scholarship.

Liability

  1. Organizers shall not be responsible in the event the 2nd ME-SGW is canceled. SGAC will not reimburse the award winner, even if he/she has already incurred expenses.
  2. Organizers shall not be responsible in the event that the award winner fails to attend the 2nd ME-SGW 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.
  4. The award is not transferable to another event or individual.
  5. SGAC encourages travel insurance and the booking of flexible tickets and the possibility to cancel tickets in case of unexpected cancellation or change in plans occurs. 

Evaluation

The assessment of applications for the Middle East Space Leaders Award will be evaluated by a panel composed of SGAC Chairs, Executive Director, Regional Coordinators, Scholarship Team Members, and the 2nd ME-SGW Manager and Deputy Manager.

 

Criteria

Evaluation is based on

[%]

Contributions to space sector

  • Scientific research (including publications, presentations etc)
  • Industrial research and development
  • Contribution to the management of space programs and projects
  • Involvement with space nonprofits and volunteering in the space community (other than SGAC)
  • Involvement in student activities relating to space

20 %

Contributions to SGAC

  • Attendance of SGAC events
  • Contribution to SGAC project groups or Events
  • Volunteering with the SGAC team as part of the SGAC Executive Committee, Executive Office Teams, Event teams or any other team
  • Willingness to contribute in the future to SGAC

30 %

Reason to be selected for the Middle East Space Leaders Award?

  • What makes the applicant the perfect candidate for the award
  • What separates the applicant from other candidates

20 %

How would you leverage this opportunity to grow in the space sector?

  • How do you plan to take advantage of the opportunity to attend this SGW to advance your career in the Space Sector
  • How would you engage with the international space community to contribute to the progress of the space sector in your region

20 %

What unique perspective do you bring to this Space Generation Workshop?

  • Departing from your background, culture and knowledge, what kind of perspective and vision would you bring to the SGW

10 %

 

Schedule

Entries Open:

Now Open

Submission Deadline

 13th August

Review of applications

14th- 19th August

Notification of successful applicants

20th August

Contact

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