Want an extra activity for your children learning at home? Encourage them to use their imagination to explore the moon's surface—then write about it to compete for prizes from NASA!

NASA collaborated with Future Engineers to create the Artemis Moon Pod Essay Contest. The contest, open to U.S. students in grades K-12, launches on Tuesday, Sept. 15 and runs through Dec. 17, 2020, challenging participants to imagine leading a one-week expedition to the Moon’s South Pole.

Your child could win a family trip to see the first Artemis flight test at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, or a trip with a parent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center next summer to learn about lunar exploration. All students who enter will receive an official certificate and be invited to a NASA virtual event featuring an astronaut.

NASA describes the contest on their website this way:

Just imagine: You and a crew of astronauts will explore the lunar surface, making discoveries to assist future explorers. Describe your team — the number of astronauts in your crew, the skills they possess, their personality traits, and the attributes you would want in crewmates. Next, what machine, piece of technology, or robot would you leave behind on the lunar surface to help future astronauts explore the Moon?

To enter the contest, students must submit their essays by Dec 17. The essays will be divided into three groups, for judging by grade level – K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Make sure to check out the full list of contest details, including that your essay should be no more than 100 words (grades K-4), 200 words (grades 5-8), or 300 words (grades 9-12). Students can sign up individually at the contest site or teachers can register their entire class.

Every student who submits an essay will receive an official certificate and be invited to a NASA virtual event featuring an astronaut! Semifinalists will be invited to represent their state or territory in a series of Artemis Explorer sessions with NASA experts. Nine finalists will have the opportunity to travel with a parent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center next summer to learn about lunar exploration. The national winner in each grade division will win a family trip to see the first Artemis flight test, watching the most-powerful rocket in the world launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Get more details and learn how to enter at futureengineers.org