Today, NASA opened the contest for K-12 students to name the Mars 2020 rover that launches in July. We would love for some of our past students to take part in this historic opportunity.
To win kids submit their Mars rover name and a short essay (maximum 150 words). The essay should explain the reasons for their selected name. Submissions are then judged by volunteers based on certain criteria. The Mars 2020 rover will seek signs of past microbial life, collect surface samples as the first leg of a potential Mars sample return campaign. It will also test technologies to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere to prepare for future human missions.
Contest partners are Battelle and Future Engineers.
If you are not a student in K-12 but want to be a part of the naming of the Mars Rover, NASA needs judges to help select the winner. All judge volunteers must be 18+ years of age and U.S. residents. If in interested you will need to apply before the November 1st deadline.
How the Mars Rover Contest Works
Be sure to review contest rules for all challenge details and entry requirements. This includes the privacy requirement of omitting personal names in the submission. This allows entries to be viewed publically before entering the contest.
To submit a name for the next Mars Rover kids will need to register themselves on the Future Engineers website. They will also need to provide a class code or their school’s information.
Key Dates for the Contest
- All submissions must be in by November 1, 2019.
- Judging occurs between November 1, 2019, and January 1, 2020.
- A public poll conducted in January 2020.
- Semifinalists announced on January 9, 2020.
- Finalists announced January 20, 2020.
- Finalist Interviews February 7, 2020.
- Winner and the winning Mars Rover name will be announced on February 18, 2020.
