While awards are an exciting and compelling reason to participate in the NASA International Space Apps Challenge, we like to start by reminding everyone that NASA Space Apps is, at its core, a collaborative event — not a competitive one. We hope that participants have the opportunity to learn, grow, and share. We celebrate all of your ideas and efforts, whether you receive an award or not.
Please consider the goals of NASA Space Apps 2024 as you form your teams and craft your proposed solutions:
All participants that submit a project on the website by the deadline will receive a certificate of participation
For a step-by-step video about the Judging & Awards process, check out Navigating the Hackathon: Judging & Awards.
To be eligible to advance to Global Judging from either a Local Event or the Universal Event, your team and/or project must meet certain requirements. See the 2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge Project Submission Guide for step-by-step details on how to submit your project. Here is a list of the minimum requirements:
In addition to the minimum requirements outlined above in the Eligibility for Global Judging section, Local, Global, and Executive Judges evaluate the projects according to the following standards:
While many NASA Space Apps Challenge teams consider the first four judging criteria carefully and excel at developing projects with great potential, remember to pay equal attention to the final criterion: presentation. We recommend devoting time and resources to developing your pitch and building a great story around your project. Be sure to recruit team members with a variety of skills, including expertise in storytelling, design, and other skills to help document your project and share the value of your proposed solution with the world.
Following the hackathon, Local Event and Universal Event judges will determine the projects that will advance to Global Judging, known as Global Nominees.
Global Nominees from both Local Events and the Universal Event will be announced via NASA Space Apps social media and appear on spaceappschallenge.org on October 29, 2024.
Following the hackathon, all project submissions from each Local Event will be evaluated by a panel of Local Judges, organized by the respective Local Lead. Using the NASA Space Apps judging criteria, the panel will select projects to advance to Global Judging.
Local Leads and Local Judges may also, if they wish, award local prizes. The team(s) that win local prizes will not necessarily be the same teams that advance to Global Judging. This will be determined by the panel of Local Judges.
Following the hackathon, all projects submitted to the Universal Event will be evaluated by a team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Using the NASA Space Apps judging criteria, the Universal Event Judges will select the top projects to advance to Global Judging. These teams will be known as “Global Nominees.” The number of Universal Event teams that will advance to Global Judging will be proportional to the number of projects that advance to Global Judging from Local Events, usually around one Global Nominee per ten projects submitted.
During Global Judging, all Global Nominees will be reviewed by a team of expert judges from NASA and the 2024 Space Agency Partners. Each project will be evaluated according to the judging criteria in this guide. These votes will determine the top teams, who will be known as the “Global Finalists.”
Global Finalists will be announced via NASA Space Apps social media and appear on spaceappschallenge.org on November 19, 2024.
The Global Finalists will be reviewed by an executive committee from NASA and the 2024 Space Agency Partners. These judges are agency leaders and executives with a variety of subject matter expertise. Each Global Finalist project will be evaluated by each executive judge. This committee will nominate teams for one of ten Global Awards:
The team or individual that created the winning submission for each of the categories above will be known as the “Global Winners.” Global Winners will be announced via NASA Space Apps social media and appear on spaceappschallenge.org on January 16, 2025.
Global Winners will receive an invitation to the Winners Celebration, which may include a visit to a NASA Center or Facility for an award presentation. The Winners Celebration will provide participants an exclusive opportunities, such as engaging with NASA leaders, sharing their NASA Space Apps projects, and learning about exciting scientific developments across NASA.