About Prizes Challenges Crowdsourcing - NASA

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About Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing

NASA has historically sought solutions to challenging research questions and engineering problems by looking within the ranks of its own workforce, the U.S. aerospace industry, academic institutions, and certain other non-governmental organizations. While we continue that practice today, we also recognize that NASA’s work in space and aeronautics continues to be of great interest to the worldwide public and that good ideas can come from anywhere. NASA’s prizes, challenges, and crowdsourcing opportunities are one way for the agency to engage the public’s interest and ingenuity, making space exploration and other avenues of NASA research an endeavor of and by people everywhere.

Opportunities within the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program are distributed through Centennial Challenges and the Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI). The program also helps to promote other agency-wide opportunities to foster a community of “solvers” supporting NASA.

Starpath Robotics earned the second place prize for its four-wheeled rover that can mine, collect, and haul material during the final phase of NASA’s Break the Ice Lunar Challenge. From left, Matt Kruszynski, Saurav Shroff, Matt Khudari, Alan Hsu, David Aden, Mihir Gondhalekarl, Joshua Huang, and Aakash Ramachandran. — Starpath Robotics earned the second place prize for its four-wheeled rover that can mine, collect, and haul material during the final phase of NASA’s Break the Ice Lunar Challenge. From left, Matt Kruszynski, Saurav Shroff, Matt Khudari, Alan Hsu, David Aden, Mihir Gondhalekarl, Joshua Huang, and Aakash Ramachandran.
NASA/Jonathan Deal

Northwestern University in Phase 3: Level 1 of NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge. — Northwestern University from Evanston, Illinois, won fifth place in Phase 3: Level 1 of NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge. The team’s design features a unique spherical shell and outer parabolic dome.

Group of students carry their rocket at the 2023 Student Launch challenge. — Official NASA MSFC photos of the 2023 Student Rocket Launch week

A black plastic tray full of green alfalfa sprouts is in full focus, taking up much of the photo. In the background, slightly out of focus, a white man is wearing a navy t-shirt and light blue gloves as he works on preparing some sprouts to be eaten as samples. The background includes a large white bowl full of greens, small sample cups, and a bottle of oil. Behind the man is an incubation station where his team’s food system is displayed. — Deep Space Food Challenge (2023) – Alfalfa sprouts grow from a tray at the Deep Space Food Challenge Phase 2 winner’s announcement event in Brooklyn, New York. A team member from Interstellar Lab is preparing the sprouts to be given out as samples.
NASA / Jonathan Deal

From left, panelists Steve Rader from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Angela Herblet and Savannah Bullard from the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and Andrew Rothgaber from ICON discuss the NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program at the South by Southwest Conference on March 10 in Austin, Texas. — From left, panelists Steve Rader from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Angela Herblet and Savannah Bullard from the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and Andrew Rothgaber from ICON discuss the NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program at the South by Southwest Conference on March 10 in Austin, Texas.
NASA/Bailey Light

A man in a yellow vest, hat, and backpack uses a controller to drive his robot up a 30 degree incline outdoors. — Terra Engineering took home the first prize for its “Fracture” rover as part of the Break the Ice Lunar Challenge.
NASA

TechRise: Team air CAD — Students use computer-aided design (CAD) to develop their TechRise experiment focused on microplastics in the atmosphere.
John F. Kennedy High School

An inflated high-altitude balloon with the sun shining behind it sits on the tarmac with a long tether leading to its payload. — The World View high-altitude balloon waits as its payload is positioned for the TechRise 2023-2024 launch on August 12, 2024, in Page, Arizona.
NASA

Frequently Asked Questions

How does NASA define prizes, challenges, and crowdsourcing? Definitions can be found in NASA Policy Directive 1090.1.

Why does NASA run prizes, challenges, and crowdsourcing opportunities? NASA runs these opportunities to engage the public in the agency’s missions, discover unique approaches to addressing the agency’s needs, and stimulate U.S. and global innovation and entrepreneurship.

What is the use case for prizes, challenges, or crowdsourcing instead of other problem-solving methods? These opportunities allow NASA to collaborate directly with the public, often with cost- and time-savings. The opportunities are open to the public at large, encouraging creative and driven problem-solvers to participate for a chance to win monetary and non-monetary prizes.

Who can participate in these opportunities? NASA’s prizes, challenges, and crowdsourcing opportunities are open to members of the public, including U.S. citizens and often encouraging global participation. Be sure to check the eligibility requirements for each unique opportunity.

If you have additional questions, email us at hq-solve@mail.nasa.gov.

Our People

Meet the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program's leadership team.

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Jarah Meador

Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program Executive

Jennifer Edmunson

Centennial Challenges Program Manager (Acting)

Ryon Stewart

Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation Program Manager (Acting)

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