Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing
NASA connects the public to the agency’s missions and explores creative possibilities for addressing the agency’s needs through prizes, challenges, and crowdsourcing opportunities. The program bridges NASA’s institutional expertise with the ingenuity of industry experts, universities, and the public at large, resulting in collaborations that help advance space technology solutions. The program’s opportunities are available through Centennial Challenges and the Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI).
Open Opportunities
Beyond the Algorithm Challenge
The NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) seeks solutions to complex Earth Science problems using transformative or unconventional computing technologies.
MPLAN 2025
MUREP Partnership Learning Annual Notification (MPLAN) awards provide resources to MSIs to further develop ideas, facilitate research and development, and engage stakeholders.
Get Involved with NASA
Find more opportunities to get involved in initiatives across the agency.
Centennial Challenges
NASA Centennial Challenges offer incentive prizes to generate revolutionary solutions to problems of interest to NASA and the nation. The program seeks innovations from diverse and non-traditional sources. Competitors are not supported by government funding and awards are only made to successful teams when the challenges are met.
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Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation
The Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) works with innovators across NASA and the Federal Government to generate ideas and solve important problems by working with global communities via the NASA Tournament Lab and internally via NASA Spark.
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Success Stories
NASA’s Lunar Rescue System Challenge Supports Astronaut Safety
This challenge sought ideas to develop a compact, effective device capable of safely rescuing astronauts during emergency situations on the Moon’s surface.
NASA’s Spot the Station App Developed by and for the People
Through crowdsourcing competitions, NASA gained direct feedback to create key components of the Spot the Station app.
Public Participation in Machine Learning Bolsters Extraterrestrial Research
NASA ran two machine learning-based open science challenges in which solvers worldwide were invited to analyze chemical data.
NASA Opportunities Fuel Growth and Entrepreneurship for Bronco Space Club Students
Bronco Space matured more than just space technology as a result of winning funds from NASA’s TechLeap Prize competition. It expanded its capacity to mature space technologies long into the future.
NASA Challenge Gives Space Thruster Commercial Boost
As part of the Cube Quest challenge, Team Miles sent its CubeSat aboard the Artemis I mission in 2022. Since participating, the company Miles Space was formed by some members of Team Miles.
Solver Spotlight: Shobhana Gupta
NASA scientist Shobhana Gupta manages crowdsourcing activities for the public and participates in challenges NASA runs for its workforce.
Going Beyond the Challenge for New and Continued Success
For many solvers, success doesn’t stop when the NASA challenge ends. Past participants have gone on to work with NASA in other ways and take their technology to new heights.
Solver Spotlight: Eric Hinterman
Eric Hinterman and his friends have collaborated on more than 30 government challenges over three years.
Solver Spotlight: Lauren Fell
Challenges often provide more than just monetary awards. Some have prompted many participants to develop skills outside their traditional domains. Just ask star solver Lauren Fell.
