Each October, over the course of two days, coders, entrepreneurs, scientists, designers, storytellers, makers, builders, artists, and technologists from around the world come together for this global hackathon. NASA Space Apps Challenge participants create in-person and virtual teams to address challenges using free and open data from NASA and its Space Agency Partners.
The NASA Space Apps Challenge, founded in 2012, has become the largest annual global hackathon in the world. While the top projects are recognized as Global Winners, NASA Space Apps is all about collaboration! Our mission is focused on the following objectives:
The 2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge theme has not yet been announced. Stay tuned for updates leading up to this year's hackathon.
Last year's theme was "Explore Open Science Together" in collaboration with NASA Transform to Open Science (TOPS). This theme acknowledged 2023 as A Year of Open Science - as declared by NASA, the White House, and other Federal Agencies.
You can learn more about the 2023 theme on our blog.
Space Apps is for everyone, including those who have never “hacked" before! All passionate problem solvers, from students to life-long learners, are encouraged to join. While some of our challenges are technical, others ask you to use artistic skills, business acumen, or your imagination.
In other words, you do not need to be a coder or data expert to be a part of the NASA Space Apps Challenge. Teams with the most diverse sets of skills are often the most successful!
There is no cost to participate in the NASA Space Apps Challenge. If you are asked to pay money to participate in any aspect of a NASA Space Apps event, do not pay anything, and please report to [email protected].
Participants who are under the age of 18 must be registered for the event by a parent or legal guardian and must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times during the event.
Participants register as individuals, not as teams. Forming your team is a separate process.
Each year we provide these detailed guides to help you navigate the hackathon:
You can view the 2023 guides on our Resources page, but they will be updated leading up to this year's hackathon.
The 2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge will start on October 5 at 9:00 a.m. (local time) and end on October 6 at 11:59 p.m. (local time), when project submissions are due.
However, many NASA Space Apps activities start before October 6. Once you sign up for a NASA Space Apps account and register for the 2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge event, start checking your Messages inbox from the NASA Space Apps Global Organizing (GO) Team for important information regarding your hackathon journey.
Please also look on your Local Event page and communicate with your Local Lead to learn about other events and deadlines that are specific to your location.