Space Safety and Sustainability Project Group
 

 

 

 

Space Safety and Sustainability Essay Competition 2023

 

Topic For Essay Competition 2023

Private vs. Public – Who can push more for a green Space by contributing to one or more SDGs, and how?

The essay competition is open to SGAC members from all disciplines and backgrounds.

This essay competition is an opportunity for students and young professionals to explore the role of private and public sectors in advancing sustainable development goals (SDGs) related to a more sustainable space sector. The competition seeks to encourage critical thinking and analysis of the different approaches that these sectors can take to address the challenges of climate change when it comes to the development of space activities, architecture, food, equality, etc.

Participants are encouraged to examine the potential contributions of private and public entities to SDGs related to space, such as SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). Essays may focus on topics such as the benefits and drawbacks of public and private partnerships in the space sector, the role of government policies and regulations in promoting sustainable planning and conservation efforts, and the importance of community engagement and public participation in decision-making processes.

The authors should present their arguments with supporting evidences, examples, and case studies from different regions and contexts. Essays should offer a clear analysis of the challenges, opportunities, and potential solutions for advancing SDGs related to space through public and private collaboration. Moreover, the essays should highlight innovative approaches and practical strategies that could be implemented by different stakeholders to drive positive change.

The essay competition is open SGAC members from all disciplines and backgrounds. The competition aims to provide a platform for participants to showcase their ideas and insights on a critical topic that is relevant to global sustainable development.

The essay competition will be judged based on originality, relevance, clarity, and evidence-based analysis. Winners will be offered a scholarship to attend SGC & IAC 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan!

This essay competition is a unique opportunity to contribute to the global conversation on sustainable development and to promote collaboration between private and public sectors in advancing SDGs related to space.

For any query, feel free to reach out to us by sending us an email at [email protected]

We look forward to your submissions!

Rules To Follow While Applying

To take part in the competition you must submit your essay as an unlocked PDF document under 5 MB through the SSS Essay Competition Submission Form at the bottom of this page. Only submission in PDF format will be accepted.

– Participants must be eligible SGAC members (registered on the SGAC website) between the ages of 18 and 35 years as of the 30th of September 2023.

– Participants must be citizens of UN Member or Observer States.

– Participants must not be a member of the competition organizing team. Juries and immediate family members of juries and of the organizing team members are not eligible for this essay competition.

1. All submissions shall be made by the 30th of May 2023 23:59 UTC. Any submissions after the deadlines will not be considered.

2. The submission is due as an unlocked PDF document under 5 MB. It shall be submitted via the SSS Essay Competition Submission Form. You will need to be logged in as an SGAC member to access the submission page.

3. Essays:

– must be written in English.

– should have a length between 800 and 1200 words, excluding references and bibliography. Essays exceeding the limit of words will not be considered.

– must include citation and have a bibliography.

– must include original content and research: all paradigms of research are acceptable

– must not be previously submitted to other competitions or published.

– on behalf of another person will not be accepted.

– will be judged equally regardless of the participant’s age, gender, race, nationality, religion, and title.

– must be an original work of the participant.

– may have any kind of graphic illustrations or tables, and must be properly cited and a caption included. These do not count towards the word count.

4. Formatting and citation: Poppins, size 12, single spaced. To cite an external reference(s), participants should place the author’s last name and then comma (,) followed by the year of publication in parentheses. Participants may use APA style format for the bibliography. For further information about the APA style format, you may refer to the link: http://www.iirp.edu/pdf/IIRP-APA-Guidelines.pdf.

5. Participants:

– must not include personal identifiers (name, age, etc.) in the essay: judges will only see an anonymized essay without your email address to ensure a fair process.

– have to be the sole author (team entries are not permitted) and must hold all rights to the essay.

– are only allowed to submit one essay.

5. Plagiarism of more than 10% will be disqualified.

6. The jurors will be composed of the SGAC team and representatives from the sponsoring companies. All essays admitted after a first scrutiny for the above mentioned requirements, will be evaluated on the following criteria:

– Subject: clear, matches the topic, innovative.

– Writing style: clear argumentation and easy to follow, creative, appropriate sentence length, logical progression of ideas.

– Structure: paragraphs are coherent and supports the main argument. Clear transition between paragraphs.

– Sources: verifiable supporting evidences.

By submitting an entry, participants agree to permit SGAC and all affiliated organizers to mention their names, affiliations, bio, and headshot picture in connection with the competition.

Copyright of the submitted entry shall remain with the contestants. However, by submitting an entry all participants 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.

The organizing team is not responsible for essays that are lost, misdirected, delayed, have incomplete information, are corrupted or essays that are not received for any reason.

The organizing team, its subsidiaries, and its affiliates are not responsible for any problems, losses, damages or injuries of any kind resulting from the attempt/failure of participation, participation in the essay competition or from the participant’s acceptance, possession and or use or misuse of any prize.

SGAC will not be responsible in the event that the award winner fails to attend the 2023 SGC and/or 74th IAC. In this case, the award offer will become void.

SGAC will not be responsible in the event that the award winner is not able to obtain the necessary travel documents to attend the events. If the documents are required but not obtained, the award offer will become void.

The award is not transferable to another event or individual.

Prizes To Be Won

 

Winners will be offered a full scholarship to attend SGC 2023 and IAC 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan!

SGC 2023
IAC 2023

Our Sponsors

The SSS-PG Essay Competition Organizing Team and SGAC thank our sponsors for their contributions. The event would not be possible without their wholehearted support.

Previous Editions of our Essay Competition

In 2018 the SSS PG has launched the initiative of hosting a regular competition centered around current issues with regard to space safety and sustainability. With this competition, we intend to share the voice of the young generation on pressing issues in the space sector with a broader public.

2nd SSS Essay Competition – 2020

What Space Traffic Management measures should be implemented internationally to improve the safety and sustainability of outer space?

Sponsors and Partners

Winners

1st – Antonio Stark (KangSan Kim) (South Korea)

2nd – Yasha Kaushal (India)

3rd – Simon Kohlhase (Germany)

More information can be found on the official competition website and the final announcement.

1st SSS Essay Competition – 2019

How can humanity expand into outer space in a safe and sustainable way?

Sponsors and Partners

European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Winners

1st – Alexander Gilbert (USA)

2nd – Monica Vidauri (USA)

More information can be found on the official competition website and the announcement of the winners together with the first 10 essays can be found here.