SGAC-SSPI Essay Competition

The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), the Future Space Leaders Foundation (FSLF), and SATELLITE, organizers of SGx2022, have joined forces with Space & Satellite Professionals Internationals (SSPI) to bring one person to attend SGx2022 on March 21st, providing complimentary entrance to SATELLITE 2022. SGx activities during SATELLITE are hosted in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC, USA, on March 21st 2022. The competition winner will also receive access to the invitation-only 2022 SSPI Hall of Fame Medalling Ceremony on March 22nd, 2022.

The scholarship is now closed.

Description

SGx2022 is a technology-focused event that will bring together young professionals, industry experts, and government leaders to discuss pressing issues and innovative ideas in an exciting way. Join in for a fast-paced and engaging discussion! More info here.

SATELLITE is the world-class conference consisting of the most relevant and important topics facing both the satellite industry and end-users and gathers a diverse group of thought leaders to share their viewpoints. The format and content are built specifically with you in mind, designed so you can easily chart a path during SATELLITE week that will benefit your business. Read about SATELLITE here.

The essay competition

Please write a short essay (max 1000 words) addressing the following question:

Research the current gender, racial or ethnic balance in the space and satellite industry and the careers of two or three people in the chosen demographic working in space and satellites. Using that information, describe the costs to the industry of the demographic imbalance and recommend how companies and the industry as a whole can effectively address it.

Please note: “racial” and “ethnic” are sometimes regional terms. If the applicant is speaking about the space and satellite industry in a particular country where use of one term is more suitable or correct, they should do so.

The following links may provide a good starting point for your research, but applicants are strongly encouraged to do their own further reading and are not obliged to use these sources.

Demographic results from the 2020 Space Census – Space Skills Alliance

Space has a diversity problem — and big institutions like universities can do something about it | Space

Diversity in Our Solar System | SatelliteInternet.com

The impact of satellite constellations on space as an ancestral global commons | Nature Astronomy

Only around 1 in 5 space industry workers are women  | | UN News

Ladies who launch: Women are powering the private space industry | Fortune ($$)

Sex and the Stars: The Enduring Structure of Gender Discrimination in the Space Industry

Award

The selected winner will:

  • Be granted free entrance to SGx2022 on Monday, 21st March 2022,
  • Receive complimentary entrance for SATELLITE 2022, taking place 21st-24th March 2022.
  • Be invited to attend the exclusive SSPI Hall of Fame Medalling Ceremony on Tuesday, 22nd March 2022.

Please note:

  • The winner will not be reimbursed for SATELLITE or SGx passes obtained before the conclusion of this competition.
  • The competition winner will not be reimbursed for travel/accommodation/visa costs.
  • By entering, you confirm that (to the best of your knowledge) you will be able to travel to the US to attend the above events in March 2022.

How to Apply

To apply, you will need to

  • Write an essay (max 1000 words) on the topic highlighted above
  • Submit it using the Scholarships Submission Form (accessible only when logged into your SGAC account). Please note – due to COVID-19, we ask that you apply only if you believe you will be able to physically attend the events in the United States in March 2022. 

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

Scholarship Guidelines

Eligibility

  1. Participants must be eligible SGAC members (registered on the SGAC website) between the ages of 18 and 35 years as of the 21st of March 2022.
  2. Scholarship judges and organizers are ineligible for the award.
  3. The applicant must not have been awarded any other scholarships to attend SATELLITE and related activities.

Submission

  1. The language of all submissions must be in English.
  2. The submission is due as an unlocked PDF document under 3 MB. Your name must be included at the top of all pages.
  3. All submissions must be made by Sunday February 20th, 2022, 23:59 UTC. Sunday February 27th, 2022, 23:59 UTC.
  4. Any submissions after the deadline will not be considered.

Responsibilities of the Winners

The winners shall:

  1. Attend SGx2022 on March 21st 2022.
  2. Attend the SSPI Hall of Fame Medalling Ceremony during SATELLITE on March 22nd 2022.
  3. Submit a short report (1 page excluding pictures) detailing their experience at SGx2022 and the SSPI activities at SATELLITE2022 for inclusion on the SGAC website, newsletter or social media and that of our partners.
  4. All responsibilities shall be fulfilled and reports etc. submitted not later than April 30th, 2022.

Reimbursement

  1. The competition winner will be asked to readily coordinate with SGx, SATELLITE and SSPI teams. The winner will receive an entry pass for SGx and SATELLITE, and an invitation to the SSPI Hall of Fame Medalling Ceremony.
  2. The winner will not receive any monetary reimbursement as a consequence of this competition.
  3. Please note: the winner will not be reimbursed for SATELLITE or SGx passes obtained before the conclusion of this competition.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

  1. By submitting an entry, applicants agree to permit the SGAC to use their names, affiliations, and headshot photo in connection with the scholarship. This also applies to the essay that is submitted: portions of this essay could be used for promotional purposes (the authors, of course, will be credited for the content).
  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 SGx and/or SATELLITE 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 fails to attend SGx 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.
  4. The award is not transferable to another event or individual.

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated by a panel comprised of SSPI representatives, SGx Organizing Team and potentially other SGAC representatives.

The following points will be assessed:

  • Relevance to the topic
  • Originality
  • General quality of writing
  • Alignment to SSPI’s mission

We look forward to your contribution and thank you for taking part in this space endeavor!

Schedule

Application Open

Now!

Submission Deadline:

20th February 2022, 23:59 UTC 27th February 2022, 23:59 UTC

Announcement of Results:

2nd March 2022

SGx and SSPI Activities at SATELLITE:

21st-24th March 2022

Contact

For any questions, please contact the SGAC Scholarships Team ([email protected]).