Space Up! Design the Future Competition 2025
WISANZ invites Space Up! Members in Years 9 - 13 to enter our annual ‘Design the Future’ Competition.
Theme: Living on the Space Up! Station
We want you to get creative! Entries can be posters, videos, essays, short stories, artwork and more!
Entries close Wednesday 22 October 2025 - See T&C’s.
Prizes
Prizes will be drawn in two year group categories: Years 9-10 & Years 11-13
WINNERS
+
Fujifilm Instax Mini I2 Camera
RUNNERS-UP
Genio Star Projector
Startdome Observatory Family Passes
Orbital by Samantha Harvey, paperback
Treats!
Space Up! Merchandise
SPOT PRIZES
Spot prizes of Space Up! patches will be drawn across all members who submit an entry.
The Task
It’s 2045 and you are living on the Space Up! Station orbiting 500km above the Earth. We want to read your communications describing life on the Station.
What story would you like to tell?
We want to see your creativity! You may submit your entries in any digital form - you could write a short story or a play, create an artwork and scan it to us, design a solution to a problem on the station, film a video or record a radio message… or more! Written entries shall be no more than 1000 words, visual artwork shall be a single A3 size or smaller, videos or audio recordings shall be less than 3 minutes.
We are looking for highly creative entries which demonstrate a fundamental scientific and technical understanding. Perhaps think about the following:
The technical details of the station - where it is travelling? How is it propelled? How many inhabitants does it have? What is it made of?
How the station has been made self-sufficient. Think about food, water, oxygen, and all other necessities for survival.
Law and Politics of the Space Up! Station.
The latest fashion, and how it's suited to life and work in the Space Up! Station.
How do you travel around the station, is there gravity? How is that induced?
What does a day in the life look like for a Space Up! Station inhabitant?
What research projects are currently being conducted?
Job opportunities available to new-comers.
Something else?
Setting the Scene
The International Space Station has been operational since 1998, orbiting at 400km above the earth. It completes 16 orbits every 24 hours, offering a view back to Earth for the astronauts. It has been the home for many ground-breaking resarch projects, but has also been an observatory, educational platform and diplomatic base. Unfortunately the ISS is getting old and is set to be de-orbited by a dedicated NASA spacecraft by the end of 2030 - not so far away!
The only other operational space station is the Tiangong Space Station, operated by China. There are a few companies working on alternatives, but they are still a wee way off. So we would like to see your creative juices flowing, imagining a Space Station designed and commissioned by Space Up! members in New Zealand! Tell us what this space station would be like to live and work on!
Resources
We have put together some Resources for you to learn more about Space Stations and satellites, to help you imagine what life would be like. You might also like to do your own research about all the science and technology involved in designing, building and operating a space station.
Online Material
About the International Space Station:
Future Technology:
Reading Material
Fiction
Project Hail Mary (novel), by Andy Weir
Passengers (2016 film)
For All Mankind (TV series)
Expanse series (novels), by James S. A. Corey
Orbital (novel), by Samantha Harvey
Dune (novel), by Frank Herbert
Non-Fiction
Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery, by Scott Kelly
Ask an Astronaut, by Tim Peake
Space, by Tim Peake
A City on Mars, by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith
Check out last year’s essay competition to get more inspiration!
How to Enter:
Make sure you are signed up to Space Up! and then click here. Entries close Wednesday 22 October 2025 at 11.59pm.