Competitions with prizes

The competition is open to secondary school students.

• Team: 4 to 10 school students + a teacher as the team supervisor. You can also form a team with students from different schools! The supervisor must then be a teacher employed at one of the schools represented.
• No qualifying rounds: every correctly registered team can compete in the final.

Your team’s task is to build its own rover that will cross six sections of a track and complete two special missions – collecting and delivering samples of sand and stone.

Each section is a different challenge: sand, gravel, stones, slopes, steps or other uneven ground.

We won’t reveal the exact layout of the obstacles before the competition! Just like on a real space mission, your robot has to be ready for surprises.

• Track: you get one attempt per section and up to 90 seconds to cross it. It is enough for the first wheel or track to touch the finish line.
• Samples: collect at least 10 g of sand and a stone or another specified item and deliver them to the designated place. You have 300 seconds for each mission.
• Rover dimensions: up to 40 cm long and 30 cm wide in the starting position. After the start you may unfold grippers and working mechanisms.
• Control: wired, wireless or autonomous – the choice is yours and does not affect the score.
• Construction: you may use LEGO, 3D printing and off-the-shelf components, but the project must include your own design solutions. A ready-made robot without your own modifications is not enough.
• Competition video: prepare a video of up to 5 minutes presenting your team and your rover. The audience can award you extra points by liking it on YouTube.

Prize pool: PLN 18,000

1. 1st place PLN 7,000 for the team + PLN 2,000 for the teacher
2. 2nd place PLN 3,000 for the team + PLN 2,000 for the teacher
3. 3rd place PLN 2,000 for the team + PLN 2,000 for the teacher

All amounts are gross. The team prize is shared equally among the students, and the teacher-supervisor receives a separate prize.

• Meals during the final: lunch, dinner and refreshments during coffee breaks.
• Space to prepare: we will provide rooms where you can get your rovers ready for the start.
• Award ceremony: we will invite the three best teams to the Meet the Space closing on 25 November. Meals will also be provided during the ceremony.

1. 6 November 2026, 23:59 – registration closes.
2. 16 November 2026, 23:59 – deadline for the video, the one-page (A4) technical sheet and photos of building your rover.
3. 21 November 2026, 12:00–20:00 – competition final, Building V, Rzeszów University of Technology.
4. 21 November 2026, 18:00 – YouTube voting closes.
5. 25 November 2026 – award ceremony.

The competition is open to university students.

• Team: 2–3 students.
• Inter-university teams: you can join forces with students from other universities.
• One team – one mission: each team prepares its own CubeSat 1U satellite concept.
• All fields of study: not only engineering students are welcome! Great ideas can come from where engineering, physics, computer science, natural sciences and other fields meet.

You don’t need any experience in building satellites. Above all, we are looking for people with ideas who can turn them into a well-thought-out space mission concept.

Your mission: design a CubeSat 1U satellite!

A CubeSat 1U is a miniature satellite roughly the size of a cube with 10 cm sides. This small space has to hold the mission instruments as well as the systems the satellite needs to operate.

Your task is to develop the concept of a mission that could be carried out with such a satellite.

You decide which problem you want to solve!

• Earth observation: propose a mission that collects data about our planet.
• Scientific research: design an experiment that can be carried out in orbit.
• Testing new technologies: test an innovative technical solution in space.
• Communications and satellite systems: propose a new use for a small satellite.
• Another idea? We are open to original scientific, technological, educational and experimental missions!

Prepare a simplified funding application for a satellite mission that presents:

• Mission objective: what do you want to achieve and why does it matter?
• Originality and value of the idea: what makes your mission stand out and what benefits could it bring?
• Why space: why do you need a satellite?
• Mission payload: which devices, sensors or experiments will be on board?
• Technical concept: how will you fit the payload and the necessary subsystems into the CubeSat 1U standard?
• Mission profile: which orbit will the satellite operate in, for how long and what data will it collect?
• Risks and results: what could go wrong and how will you know the mission has succeeded?

The competition simulates the process of applying for funding for a space mission. It does not mean that a real grant will be awarded to build or launch a satellite.

1. Build your team! Form a team of 2–3 students. You can represent one university or several different ones.
2. Enter the competition! Register your team by 6 November 2026, 23:59, following the instructions on the event website.
3. Prepare your grant application! Develop the concept of your own CubeSat 1U mission and present it in a document of up to 20 A4 pages.
4. By 16 November 2026, submit your simplified grant application as instructed by the Organiser.
5. Present your mission at Rzeszów University of Technology! On 22 November 2026 you will take the stage in the Rzeszów University of Technology auditorium to convince the Competition Committee that your project deserves recognition.

We don’t limit the final to just a few top projects.

All correctly registered teams that submit, on time, a complete application meeting the competition requirements will be admitted to the final.

There is no need to beat other teams in qualifying rounds. All you have to do is prepare a mission concept that meets the requirements and deliver the required materials on time.

The Competition Committee will award up to 100 points.

The idea earns you the most points.

We especially value an original concept, the significance of the proposed mission and an answer to the question: why is this the project worth carrying out in space?

Technical feasibility and the ability to convince the Competition Committee of your solution will also matter.

22 November 2026 – the stage of the Rzeszów University of Technology auditorium

Each team will have:

• 15 minutes to present its project;
• an additional 5 minutes for questions from the Competition Committee.

During the presentation you will act as a project team trying to convince a grant committee to fund your mission.

Both the application you sent earlier and your presentation and answers to questions will be assessed.

Cash prizes await the authors of the best space mission concepts!

Prize pool: PLN 9,000

1. 1st place PLN 4,000 for the team
2. 2nd place PLN 3,000 for the team
3. 3rd place PLN 2,000 for the team

All amounts are gross. The team prize is shared equally among the team members.

1. 6 November 2026, 23:59 – team registration closes.
2. 16 November 2026 – deadline for submitting the simplified grant application (up to 20 A4 pages).
3. 22 November 2026 – the grand final in the Rzeszów University of Technology auditorium! Each team: 15 minutes of presentation + 5 minutes of questions from the Competition Committee.

The detailed presentation schedule will be sent to the teams admitted to the final.

The competition is open to secondary school students.

• Team: 2 to 3 students.
• Supervisor: one teacher who looks after the team.
• Inter-school teams: you can join forces with students from other schools. The supervisor must be a teacher employed at one of the schools represented.
• Participation: completely free of charge.

You don’t have to be space technology experts! What counts is curiosity, creativity, teamwork and the will to change the world for the better.

Your mission: bring space technology down to Earth!

Choose a technology developed for the space sector or a solution that uses data and services from satellite systems.

Then find a real everyday problem and propose your own way of solving it!

You can look for inspiration in many fields:

• Environmental protection: how can satellite data be used to reduce pollution, monitor nature or save resources?
• Health and safety: can space sensors, materials or technologies help care for people and keep them safer?
• Transport and mobility: how can satellite navigation make getting around every day easier?
• Agriculture and food: can Earth observation data help with farming, water management and reducing losses?
• Smart cities: how can space technology improve residents’ quality of life?
• Accessibility and helping others: can space innovations make everyday life easier for people with different needs?

Or maybe you have a completely different idea? Great! We are open to creative solutions from many fields.

• Find a problem: say who you want to help and in what situation.
• Choose a space technology: explain where it comes from, how it works and why it suits your project.
• Propose your own solution: come up with an original idea for a product, service or system.
• Show how it works: prepare a diagram, drawing, visualisation or another way of presenting the concept.
• Explain the benefits: show who will benefit from your solution and why it is worth implementing.
• Describe your project: prepare a write-up of up to 5 A4 pages.

Important: a report on an existing technology is not enough! We are looking for your own idea for a new or innovative use of it.

You don’t have to invent a technology from scratch or build a physical prototype. What matters most is a well-thought-out solution with real value for its users.

1. Build your team! Form a team of 2–3 students and find a teacher to supervise it. You can represent one school or join forces with students from other schools.
2. Enter the competition! Fill in the registration form on the Meet the Space website by 6 November 2026, 23:59.
3. Develop your own idea! Choose a space technology and propose an innovative way of using it to solve a problem on Earth.
4. Prepare your project description! Present your concept in a document of up to 5 A4 pages.
5. Send your project! The description must be submitted by 16 November 2026. Instructions for sending it will be shared only with correctly registered teams.

The Competition Committee will assess the submitted projects against three criteria:

The eight highest-scoring teams go through to the final.

The list of finalists will be announced on 16 November 2026.

On 25 November 2026 the eight best teams will present their ideas to the Competition Committee.

Each team will have:

• 10 minutes to present its project.
• 5 minutes to answer the Competition Committee’s questions.

During your presentation you can use slides, a visualisation, a mock-up or a prototype. A physical prototype is not required.

The final score is the sum of the points for the project description and the final presentation:

Points from the qualifying round carry over to the final.

The three teams with the highest total scores will take 1st to 3rd place.

Cash prizes await the authors of the best ideas!

Prize pool: PLN 7,000

1. 1st place PLN 3,000 for the team + PLN 500 for the supervisor
2. 2nd place PLN 2,000 for the team + PLN 500 for the supervisor
3. 3rd place PLN 500 for the team + PLN 500 for the supervisor

All amounts are gross. The team prize is shared equally among the students, and the teacher-supervisor receives a separate prize.

1. 6 November 2026, 23:59 – team registration closes (form on the Meet the Space website).
2. 16 November 2026 – deadline for submitting your own project description (up to 5 A4 pages).
3. 16 November 2026 – announcement of the eight teams qualified for the final.
4. 25 November 2026 – the grand final on the stage of the Rzeszów University of Technology auditorium! Finalists’ presentations, questions from the Competition Committee, announcement of the winners and the award ceremony.

The detailed schedule of the final will be published on the event website.

Every secondary school student who attends the inspiring talks for schools on 23 and 24 November. You don’t need to register for the competition separately.

• You answer questions about space and the topics of the talks in a qualifying quiz. All you need is a smartphone with internet access! If you let us know in advance, you can also take part with a paper answer sheet.
• The 10 best students – five from each day – will qualify for the grand final!
• 25 November – compete against the other finalists on the auditorium stage in an exciting quiz show, “First come, first served!”.

Prize pool: PLN 5,000

1. 1st place PLN 2,000 for the student + PLN 500 for the supervisor
2. 2nd place PLN 1,000 for the student + PLN 500 for the supervisor
3. 3rd place PLN 500 for the student + PLN 500 for the supervisor

All amounts are gross. The teacher-supervisor of each prize-winner receives PLN 500.

Tell your teacher about the event and encourage them to sign your class up for the talks!

Note: places at the talks are limited – school groups are admitted in the order they sign up.