ispace and SGAC are collaborating to support 2 women, students or young professionals, from less represented countries, to attend the 20th Space Generation Congress (SGC) and the 73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC) on 14 – 16 September and 18 – 22 September, 2022 respectively in Paris, France.

Application deadline: 19th June 2022, 23:59 GMT

Description

ispace is a lunar exploration company with a vision to extend human presence into outer space. Its vision is to expand our living sphere and create a sustainable world. The Moon’s water resources represent untapped potential. ispace’s aspiration is to explore and develop these water resources and spearhead a space-based economy. Water can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen to produce fuel, so they are mapping lunar resources to accelerate the pace of space development. Imagine the Moon supporting construction, energy, steel procurement, communications, transportation, agriculture, medicine, and tourism… ispace believes that by 2040 the Moon will support a population of 1,000, with 10,000 people visiting every year and it will be instrumental in supporting life on Earth through space-based infrastructure.

Now, we need you on board for this exciting challenge! What is your vision for the development of a sustainable lunar economy? Submit your essay or video to the SGAC-ispace scholarship and let us know! 

We will select two winners, one for each of these two categories: technical and social science.

The essay/video should address how you see the establishment of a functional lunar value chain, in terms of:

  • the safe and sustainable development of foundational infrastructure for long-term lunar activities (Technical category) 
  • the validation of realistic use cases for lunar products and services, including which role should be played by the various stakeholders involved (the UN, national governments, companies, space agencies, scientists, civil society) (Social science category)

Award

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

The award will include provisions for travel, accommodation, visa expenses, and registration for SGC and IAC. The amount for each of the two scholarships is US$2000.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your complete application using the Scholarship Submission Form at the bottom of this page. (Please note, you must be logged in to see it)

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

Your applications will need to include:

  • 1000 words essay written in English

OR

  • 3 minutes video

Guidelines

Eligibility

  • The competition is open to all registered SGAC members, and women, between the ages of 18 to 35 inclusive (up to the day of their 35th birthday) on 22 September 2022.
  • The applicants must be residents of an emerging country
  • Competition organisers and judges are not eligible for this award.

Submission

  1. You will need to be logged in as an SGAC member to access the submission page.
  2. The language of all submissions shall be English.
  3. The submission shall include original content and research. Work that has already been presented at a past conference or previously submitted to this competition is not eligible.
  4. All submissions shall be made by the 19th of June 2022, 23:59 GMT. Any submissions after the deadlines will not be considered.
  5. In case of a lack of quality submissions, SGAC has the right to extend and or cancel the competition.

Responsibilities of the Winners

The winning authors shall:

  • Attend the entire SGC 2022.
  • Attend the entire IAC 2022.
  • Support the running of SGC 2022 and the SGAC booth at IAC 2022. 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/or a short video (1 minute) describing their experience at SGC 2022 and IAC 2022 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 23rd October 2022. In case the scholarship awardees do not complete the scholarship requirements on time, the scholarship funds will be transferred to SGAC’s general budget to continue supporting the mission and work of SGAC. 

Reimbursement

  1. The award will be paid out after the SGC / IAC 2022, 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 23rd October 2022.
  3. In the case the winners receive funding for SGC 2022 and/or IAC 2022 by any other organization, the Scholarships Team 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 2022 and/or IAC 2022 are 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(s) fails to attend SGC 2022 and/or IAC 2022 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(s) cannot obtain any necessary travel documents; if they are required but not obtained, the award offer shall become void.

Evaluation

Evaluators will include members of the SGAC Scholarships team and ispace employees.

The evaluation will be made based on a point system taking following criteria and their weights into consideration:

  • Scientific Content and Detail (40%)
  • Originality (30%)
  • Description of Concept (20%)
  • Country of residency and space opportunities available (10%)

Schedule

Entries accepted:

Now

Application Deadline:

19 June 2022, 23:59 GMT

Application Evaluation

20 June – 3 July 2022

Winner announced

7 July 2022

Space Generation Congress:

14 – 16 September 2022

International Astronautical Congress

18 – 22 September 2022

Contact

For any questions, please refer to the SGAC Scholarships Team at [email protected].