NASA Space Tech Art Challenge: Imagine Tomorrow

The

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program

wants you to show the world the future of space technology. The NIAC Program is looking for posters that help people better understand the visionary aerospace concepts that might be used in future NASA missions. If you can create an engaging poster that depicts one or more of the innovative concepts in action, you might win a

portion of the $3,000 USD purse

These early-stage technologies are 10 to 20+ years away from final development. To help people understand what they might look like, NIAC is turning to artists and graphic designers to create posters that help people visualize the technologies under development. The posters will show what the technology will look like, and how and where they might be used in the future.

NIAC will use these images to help illustrate the tech story to everyone including students, the press, science and technology museums, Congress, and the general public. These images will inspire vast audiences by creating effective visualizations of cutting-edge technologies. All selected images will be uploaded to the NIAC website, shared widely, and available for free digital download. Credit will be given to all artists’ work.

In creating your image, you may select from any of the over 300+

NIAC Funded Studies

. Your image must show a realistic depiction of one or more of the technologies in its appropriate environment.

To help make the images accessible to a wide audience, alternative text (alt text) will be included with the images. For individuals who have vision impairment, alt text works with screen readers to help describe the illustration in detail and can be read with the use of text reading software. You can use AI to help generate the alt text. You will be asked to describe your image in a way that supports alt text. Your description should satisfy the requirements of alt text by explaining the subject of the image, what technology or technologies are included, the environment (e.g., surface of Mars), conveying why it is scientifically important, and describing what the illustration looks like.

Judging

The NIAC team will evaluate the submissions and determine the artwork that best depicts the technology in its environment in the most visually effective, compelling, and impactful way.

Schedule


Launch		March 5, 2024
Submission Deadline		April 15, 2024 5 pm ET
Winners Announced		April 30, 2024

Eligibility Requirements

Must be at least 18 years old.

United States federal sanctions prohibit participation from Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Myanmar, and North Korea.

May compete as an Individual or a Team, however the prize will be awarded in whole to the submitter.

Individuals or Teams may submit multiple entries, however, each competitor/team may only win one prize.

Submission Requirements

Artwork must be original. AI can be used to help develop images but is not a requirement.

Image format:

Size: 2’ x 3’ poster (approximately 60 x 90 cm)

Portrait orientation

Resolution of 300 dpi or higher

Submissions must be PDFs

Submission Form must be included with all submissions

In the submission form, clearly state the NIAC concept study(-ies) you used in your image

Include a description that can be used as Alt text when publishing your graphic

Image Requirements

Must depict at least one

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC)

concept.

Images must realistically portray the technology and its intended environment. For example, a propulsion system should be depicted in flight and a planetary probe should be depicted on the surface of a planet.

The NIAC technology image can be used as a reference but cannot be submitted as a solution. Any submissions that are copies of the NIAC image will not be accepted.

May include more than one technology within one image but all the technology must be in the same environment.

Final images may be in any artistic style, but the technology and its use should be easily understood at a glance.

The NASA insignia, NIAC logo, or other NASA logos

cannot

be used as any part of the submission.

The image

may not

include any text.

Additional Files

Please refer to the

Files tab

to access additional files for this Challenge, such as a copy of the Challenge Brief and a template for the Submission Form.

Please download the Submission Form and fill out this form using Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software. Ensure the form is complete and accurate, then attach it with your contest entry.

Contact

Please submit your questions in the challenge Clarification Board.

Featured

Highlight

Guaranteed

Sealed

Top Contest

Skills Required

AI Art Creation

Digital Art

Graphic Art

Graphic Design

Visual Arts

Accepted File Formats

pdf

Clarification Board
No spam, self-promotion or advertisement is permitted.

Ibrahim E.

@ibrahimelhalawa6

7 days ago

Is there a new date when the winners of the contests will be announced? Thank you

Contest Holder

10 days ago

Dear participants, we have made an update in regards to the day of the winners announcement on the Updates tab. We apologize for the inconvenience. Stay tuned for further updates!

Tom D.

@Zierot

28 days ago

Why is my sealed entry image different than everyone else's? It is a negative image of a subset of the poster rather than the portrait I put on my profile.

Ochai O.

@ochaiisaac120

25 days ago

Submitted

Suvro D.

@Suvro2

28 days ago

Please check my entry.

Stephen E.

@sechavia

1 month ago

Can more than one image (variations of a single NIAC study) be submitted in a single pdf? This would result in a multi page pdf with a single image in each page. If only one image can be submitted per pdf, are multiple submissions allowed?

Savio Steven D.

@SavioDcosta

1 month ago

This is a bit late but just to clarify, I can pick from any of the studies including the ones from 2011 (NIAC 2011 Phase I Selections) ? Also can I pick the ones from Consolidated NIAC Awards?

Promanade A.

@ellipsebd2000

1 month ago

In the description it is said that "In creating your image, you may select from any of the over 300+ NIAC Funded Studies. " I may select that means if I wish, I may not select for my art work. But again in the image requirements, it is said that " Must depict at least one NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) concept." How could I represent my idea with another idea art work? For example, a previous NIAC concept is "Sample Return from the Surface of Venus" (2024 Phase I Selection) -the image or art work is containing a donut balloon type innovative carbon monoxide rocket technology to make propellant from the Venus atmosphere with innovations in high-temperature surface systems and a solar aircraft. How should I incorporate it in my artwork? Please explain.