About NASA Space Apps Challenge
NASA International Space Apps Challenge is the world's largest hackathon, held annually in October. In 2026, 50,000+ participants from 160+ countries team up to solve NASA-provided challenges over 48 hours.
Registration
spaceappschallenge.org opens registration in September. Choose whether to participate locally (in-person events worldwide) or virtually.
Challenge Categories
- Observations from Above (remote sensing, satellite data)
- Our Changing Planet (climate, environment)
- Tell Me a Story (data visualization, storytelling)
- James Webb Space Telescope (astronomy apps)
- Planetary Defense (asteroid tracking tools)
Team Composition Tips
- 3–6 members with diverse skills works best
- Include: 1 developer, 1 designer, 1 domain expert, 1 presenter
- Non-coders are valuable — science communicators, writers, UX researchers
Judging Criteria
- Impact: Does it address the challenge meaningfully?
- Creativity: Is the approach novel?
- Technical Implementation: Does it actually work?
- Presentation: Is the pitch compelling and clear?
Winners
Global Nominees receive recognition from NASA, a digital certificate, and the opportunity to attend the NASA awards ceremony. Past winners have gone on to work at NASA, SpaceX, and ESA.