What is NASA's International Space Apps Challenge?

Please note: Applications for hosting a 2016 Space Apps Challenge location have closed.

NASA is on a mission to foster innovation around challenges affecting us at home and in space. As one of the world's largest international annual hackathons, we designed Space Apps for problem solvers like you. This 48-hour event inspires citizen teamwork for positive change across every skill level and discipline.

We invite engineers, coders, makers, artists and storytellers to connect over mission-related challenges. The growing Space Apps community represents the core of NASA's Open Innovation Initiative. Together, citizens like you have developed thousands of open-source solutions. Your big ideas are shaped using data visualizations, hardware, code, design and more!


Join us at Space Apps. Here's how you can get plugged in:

  • Work on a team or individually at your local event or virtually, from anywhere with WiFi.
  • Create a solution that has the potential to impact real challenges and make big change.
  • Solve challenges using real data sets from NASA and other global collaborators.
  • Share your innovation story to local and global judges for the chance at an award.
  • Contend for international recognition on open.NASA's Innovation Space.
  • Receive feedback from real subject matter experts.
  • Participate in a Space Apps Data Bootcamp pre-event, either locally or virtually.
  • Create your own problem-solving open data community -- before, during, and after Space Apps.

Are you ready to start innovating? Learn if Space Apps is near you or volunteer to host one in your city!


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