Create a Mascot

Note: There is no age requirement or limit for this challenge. Space Apps does not collect age information from participants.

Background:

Scientific information is essential for understanding our everyday lives, as well as longer-term changes to our planet and universe. Every year -- in fact, every hour! -- NASA collects a vast amount of data -- about the galaxy, about the Earth, about human activity. This information enables us to make informed decisions and take action.

There’s one problem! Scientific information can often feel inaccessible, especially to young learners. Abstract concepts can be difficult to understand. Numbers can feel overwhelming.

Mascots offer one solution to making learning more accessible. They bring abstract concepts and data to life. They help audiences connect to difficult material. They serve as guides, showing learners how to apply their knowledge and skills. They inspire! The very best mascots also communicate the values and mission of the organization or communicator.

Your challenge is to create a mascot that can help make learning about Earth and space science more fun and welcoming for younger audiences. Your mascot may be in any form, have any personality, and communicate a variety of messages and values. Make sure your mascot represents your own voice and style!

Potential Considerations:

• Choosing a mascot
  • Is it a real person? A fictional person? An animal? An object? Is it hand made or computer generated?
  • What kind of personality does your mascot have? Is it playful? Serious? Inspiring? Whimsical?
  • Is it visually appealing and recognizable?
  • Does your mascot always look the same? Or are there variations?
• Targeting an audience
  • What audience are you targeting? Are reaching out to certain age groups or populations?
• Crafting a message
  • What message does your mascot send? What values does it represent? How does the message align with the image?
  • Think about the Space Apps commitment to diversity, inclusion, and collaboration!
• Consider applications
  • What will your mascot do? Can you demonstrate a situation in which they might be used?
  • Is there a way to make your mascot interactive?
• Keep in mind that by participating in Space Apps, you are agreeing that your solution/project is open-source and freely available for others to use during and after the event. You can learn more about our open-source policy here: https://legacy.spaceappschallenge.org/legal/
• Remember that to be eligible for global judging by our panel of Space Apps experts, your solution to the challenge must contain or reference NASA, CSA, CNES, JAXA and/or ESA data/resources/information in some way. Here’s where your creativity will really have a chance to shine! Check the Resources section for links to inspiring galleries. Be sure to make clear what data you used and how you used it!

For data and resources related to this challenge, refer to the Resources tab at the top of the page.

NASA does not endorse any non-U.S. Government entity and is not responsible for information contained on non-U.S. Government websites.