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The 2026 NASA Space Apps Challenge will take place November 14-15, 2026.
Get ready to explore The Next Frontier! From your own backyard to the edges of the universe, discovery awaits at the NASA Space Apps Challenge. This is your opportunity to collaborate with a community of like-minded problem solvers to turn data into tools that benefit humanity and propel us to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The NASA Space Apps Challenge offers opportunities for students, technologists, and space science enthusiasts to better understand how to utilize NASA open data to respond to today’s most pressing science and space exploration challenges. No matter your age, skill level, or professional background, when you participate in the NASA Space Apps Challenge, you join a global community that embraces collaboration to develop projects and tools that improve life on Earth and in space.
There is no cost to participate in the NASA Space Apps Challenge. If you are asked to pay money to participate in any aspect of a NASA Space Apps event, do not pay anything and please report to [email protected].
The NASA Space Apps Challenge is open to all ages! However, participants who are under the age of 18 must be registered for the event by a parent or legal guardian and must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times during the event. Recognizable names, voices, and likenesses of persons under the age of 18 should not be included in any video or project submissions. Please read the details in our Participant Terms & Conditions.
The NASA Space Apps Challenge takes place at hundreds of events around the world. You may participate in an in-person or virtual Local Event near you or the virtual Universal Event if there is not an event near you.
Local Events are organized by Local Leads. Learn more about how to host a Local Event.
We strive to ensure that NASA Space Apps is a place where all feel they belong, where all are comfortable being authentic, and where all are empowered to contribute to their fullest.
If you experience or witness discrimination, harassment, or any form of bullying during the NASA Space Apps Challenge, or have any other concerns, please contact your Local Lead and/or the NASA Space Apps Global Organizing (GO) Team at [email protected]. The GO Team will take appropriate action, which may include warning or expelling offending participants from the event.
To participate in the NASA Space Apps Challenge, you must:
Step 1: Access Your NASA Space Apps Account
Returning Participants: Log in to your existing NASA Space Apps account.
New Participants: Sign up for a NASA Space Apps account. Once you input your information, you will receive an email to verify your email address. You will verify your email by clicking the link in the message; afterwards you can log into the NASA Space Apps website.
Step 2: REGISTER FOR THE 2026 NASA SPACE APPS CHALLENGE & CHOOSE AN EVENT
Register: Registration for the 2026 NASA Space Apps Challenge is open and will remain open through the end of the hackathon on November 15.
Complete the registration form on the 2026 Hackathon page, ensure that you complete all required questions and read the Terms & Conditions.
Choose a Local Event: We suggest that participants choose an in-person or virtual Local Event based on their physical location. The NASA Space Apps Challenge features hundreds of Local Events, allowing participants to find potential teammates located in the same community or time zone, or those who speak the same language.
Find a Local Event on the 2026 Local Events page. You can search by your location name or use the map to locate a Local Event near you. If there are no Local Events in your area, you can register for the virtual Universal Event.
If an event is at capacity, you can select to join the waitlist. If space becomes available, you will be added to the Local Event by the Local Lead. You can change your Local Event by clicking "Leave this Event" on the Local Event page you have chosen.
If there is not a Local Event near you, or you prefer to participate virtually, you can sign up for the Universal Event.
Step 3: Connect With Your Local Lead
Local Leads are the organizers of NASA Space Apps Challenge Local Events. They are available to answer questions and help connect you to potential teammates prior to the hackathon. Local Leads are the primary points of contact for your Local Event and will support your hackathon experience. You may find their contact information on your Local Event’s page. Please reach out to them as you prepare, and for specific details regarding your Local Event!
The NASA Space Apps GO Team will send updates about the hackathon with Space Apps Messages, you can check those from the menu under your profile icon. Additionally, your Local Lead may utilize Space Apps Messages to send updates about your Local Event.
Throughout your hackathon journey, you will receive communications from the NASA Space Apps GO Team about updates and actions you need to take on spaceappschallenge.org as part of the hackathon. You will also receive information from your Local Lead about information specific to your Local Event.
Each year we provide Participant Guides to help you navigate each step of the hackathon. These provide step-by-step information to help you form teams, use Space Apps Connect, submit your project, and learn about judging and awards. These guides can be found on the Resources page and are updated prior to the hackathon:
If you have a question not answered in the guides, reach out on our Contact Us page.
Challenges are authored by NASA and Space Agency Partner subject matter experts and encompass a wide variety of Earth and space science topics. Each team must select a challenge to address during the hackathon.
A summary of each challenge will be released on September 17, followed by challenge statements on October 28, which include the full details, resources, and requirements. Teams are not allowed to begin working on the challenges prior to the hackathon.
Yes, part of the NASA Space Apps Challenge experience is connecting with like-minded problem solvers from your own community and around the world! Participants are encouraged to create teams that include individuals with a variety of skill sets and backgrounds. Being on a team provides you with the opportunity to learn from one another and sets your team up for hackathon success.
While you may be on a team by yourself, we highly recommend that you work with other participants. Teams may have no more than six (6) members and must be signed up for the same Local Event or the Universal Event. You may only be on one team and teams are only permitted to work on one challenge.
In order to be eligible for Global Judging, teams must submit their project through their team’s project page on spaceappschallenge.org. Step-by-step instructions on how to submit your project will be provided in the Project Submission Guide, which will become available on November 13.
Space Apps Connect serves as the collaborative communication forum for the NASA Space Apps Challenge community. It is completely FREE for registered participants to use. Joining Space Apps Connect is optional but highly encouraged. The platform allows you to connect with other hackathon participants as well as with Local Leads, Navigators, SMEs, Global Collaborators, and the NASA Space Apps Global Organizing (GO) Team. Space Apps Connect will open on November 3 and close at the conclusion of the hackathon.
Step-by-step instructions on how to navigate this platform will be provided in the Space Apps Connect Guide, which will become available on November 3.
All NASA Space Apps Challenge participants will receive a certificate on their account’s profile page recognizing their participation upon submitting their project. Projects will then be judged on specific criteria to determine Honorable Mentions, Global Finalists, and Global Winners. Global Winners are announced upon the conclusion of judging. More information will be announced at a later date about recognition for 2026 Global Winners.
Learn more about this process in the Judging & Awards Guide, which will become available on November 13