Participation Guidelines

• Here are some quick tips about the contest.  Be sure to read and follow the OFFICIAL RULES and submission steps in the sections below. 
• Conceptualize your mission patch idea. Keep the design relative to the Space A.G.E. mission. 
• Try to incorporate artwork that represents the major “themes” of Space A.G.E., such as:
  • Effects of Spaceflight on Astronaut health
  • Understanding the aging process and what influences it
  • The human immune system
  • Cell biology and research in microgravity on the ISS and other Space Laboratories in low earth orbit
• Creating something simple and clear is recommended.
• Be sure to also have your design include (per the official rules below) :
  • “SpaceX-27”
  • “Space A.G.E.”
  • “UCSF TSI Lab”
  • “ISS” 
• Above all else, make sure your work is original, and have fun!  Also, check out other official mission patches in NASA’s archive here and the Space Center Houston article here for inspiration.
• Draw, paint, or use digital media tools to create and finalize your mission patch.
• Take a photo of or save your mission patch design as a high-resolution digital file.  Acceptable files include JPG, TIF, PNG, and PDF.
• Have your parent or legal guardian complete the submission form and submit your artwork as a digital file as instructed in the submission step in the section below.
• Key Dates for Mission Patch Contest:
  • Submission deadline: Saturday, October 15, 2022, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time
  • Winner selected: Tuesday, November 1, 2022
  • Winner announced: Mid-November 2022 prior to the Space A.G.E. mission launch
  • Mission Patch design featured during Livestream of Space A.G.E. mission launch: Date TBD

Official Rules

• One entry per contestant only.
• Participants must be middle- or high-school-aged and reside in the US.
• Submissions can be in black and white or use up to 9 colors.
•  All submitted designs must include “SpaceX-27" to represent the launch year) and the abbreviations “Space A.G.E.”, “UCSF TSI Lab”, and “ISS”, as part of the mission patch.
• Make sure the work is entirely your own; do not copy, trace, or incorporate elements from an existing design or artwork created by someone else.
• The mission patch submission form and upload must be completed by a parent or legal guardian. Be sure to have them read these rules and the “AUTHORIZATION & COPYRIGHT RELEASE INFORMATION” below.
• Your design must be submitted as either a JPG, TIF, PNG or PDF file.
• Please submit the highest resolution image possible. The maximum file size is 10 MB.
• The official submission deadline is Saturday, October, 15, 2022​, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.​

AUTHORIZATION & COPYRIGHT RELEASE INFORMATION

**PARENTS/LEGAL GUARDIANS - PLEASE READ THIS INFORMATION**

• If your child’s design/artwork is selected for the Space A.G.E. mission patch, you and your child will both be asked to sign a release form for any photograph, sound recording, motion picture, or video taken of your child and/or of yourself, as well as any such representation of your child’s mission patch design/artwork, for the purposes of promoting and identifying the Space A.G.E. mission.
• In addition, the release form will require you to acknowledge that your child’s mission patch design/artwork is completely original.
• You will also be asked to assign to the Space A.G.E. mission all rights, title, and interest, including copyright, for your child’s mission patch design/artwork, as well as all photographs, sound recordings, motion pictures, or videos taken of your child and/or of yourself.
• If your child's submission is not selected, their design/artwork will not be used in any way by the Space A.G.E. mission team and will be removed from our records to prevent any possible future use. 

Submit Your Design!

Ready to submit your Space A.G.E. mission patch design idea? If so, please have your parent or legal guardian visit https://bit.ly/missionpatchcontest to fill out the submission form and upload your mission patch design. Thank you and best of luck!

Winner Selection and Announcement

The Space A.G.E. mission team will meet after the October 15, 2022, submission deadline to consider all valid contest entries and select the winner by November 1, 2022. The winner will be contacted soon thereafter prior to any official public announcement. The official public announcement will be made prior to the mission launch (Date TBD). The winning mission patch design will also be featured during an online Livestream covering the mission launch. The winning mission patch designer and at least one parent/guardian will also be invited to participate in our launch coverage Livestream!

Contact

For more information, please contact us at [email protected]

Example Mission Patches

Click on the images below for more information about these example space mission patches. Many other past space mission patches are highlighted in NASA’s archive here and in the Space Center Houston article here.

PLEASE NOTE: The Space A.G.E. mission and associated activities are based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant number 1928095. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The Space A.G.E. mission patch contest is wholly owned and operated by the UCSF TSI Lab and is not associated in any way with the International Space Station or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Tissue chip image courtesy of Nortis, Inc. Example mission patch art courtesy of NASA.