United Nations Office for Outer Space Affair (UNOOSA) for Youth Competition 2019

Application Deadline: March 22nd 2019

In September 2018, the UN Secretary-General launched an UN-wide ‘ Youth 2030‘ strategy to recognize, inter alia, young people’s positive contributions as agents of change. The strategy notes the United Nations is uniquely placed to act as a source of protection and support for young people and a platform through which their needs can be addressed, their voice can be amplified, and their engagement can be advanced.

As the UN’s gateway to space, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) works, on behalf of all countries, to provide space solutions to real-world problems. 

To support the first priority of the ‘Youth 2030’ strategy, namely “Engagement, Participation and Advocacy to Amplify youth voices for the promotion of a peaceful, just and sustainable world”, the office decided to launch this Space for Youth Competition together with the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). 

Do you have an idea on how to use space to achieve the sustainable development goals? PARTICIPATe TO the space for youth competition and SHARE your vision!

This is your chance to have your voice heard at the international space community level at large and to show how the next generation of students and young professionals can contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through space applications. 

• This competition is open to all students and young professionals from any Member States of the United Nations.
• All participants shall be aged between 18 to 35 inclusive (up to the day of your 36th birthday) as of 1 February 2018. 
• The competition is open to individuals – team submissions are not allowed. 
• The competition is open till  22 March 2019.

The competition is organised in two rounds:

First,  select  one of the 17 SDGs  on which you would like to focus your submission (for 1st Round and 2nd Round). 

Then submit the link to a 3-minute video uploaded on YouTube in which you reply to the following questions:

1)      In your opinion, how can space contribute to the SDGs in general?

2)      In particular, how is space contributing to one SDG of your choice? Provide example(s) from your community and experience

3)      How could these examples be built upon and expanded in the future?

*The title of your video should be “First Name_Last Name_SDGs Number_Space for Youth”

*All submissions shall be made by 22 March, 23:59 GMT for the 1st Round. Any submissions after the deadlines will not be considered. 

For the second round, the selected participants will have to submit a paper expanding on the first’s round questions. 

Competition and Award

There will be a total of 17 winners to this competition (1 for each SDG). The winners will get opportunities to :

• Your entry will be part of a report circulated to delegates from all over the world attending the Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), the UN intergovernmental body for international cooperation in space affairs, in Vienna, Austria, on 12 – 21 June 2019).
• Your paper will be presented at the side event on Space for Youth during the Sixty-second session of COPUOS  ( in the form of a video or in person (no guaranteed funding for travel/accommodation to attend the side event on Space for Youth and the Sixty-second session of the Committee).
• Your video will be featured on UNOOSA social-media and on the SGAC website.
• You will receive a certificate of achievement from UNOOSA.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Space for Youth Competition 2019