{"slug":"nasa-space-apps-2025","name":"NASA International Space Apps Challenge","edition":"2025","year":2025,"organizer":"NASA Space Apps Global Organizing Team (funded by NASA's Earth Science Division)","kind":"agency-open-data-challenge","format":"hybrid","region":"global","countries":[],"country_count":167,"local_events":551,"city":null,"venue":"551 in-person and virtual Local Events plus the virtual Universal Event","start_date":"2025-10-04","end_date":"2025-10-05","duration_hours":48,"participants":114000,"teams":18860,"submissions":11500,"team_size":"1-6","theme":null,"tracks":[{"id":"build-space-biology-knowledge-engine","name":"Build a Space Biology Knowledge Engine"},{"id":"hunting-exoplanets-with-ai","name":"A World Away: Hunting for Exoplanets with AI"},{"id":"will-it-rain-on-my-parade","name":"Will It Rain on My Parade?"},{"id":"commercializing-leo","name":"Commercializing Low Earth Orbit (LEO)"},{"id":"habitat-layout-creator","name":"Your Home in Space: The Habitat Layout Creator"},{"id":"stellar-stories-space-weather","name":"Stellar Stories: Space Weather Through the Eyes of Earthlings"},{"id":"farm-navigators","name":"NASA Farm Navigators: Using NASA Data Exploration in Agriculture"},{"id":"bloomwatch","name":"BloomWatch: An Earth Observation Application for Global Flowering Phenology"}],"prizes":[{"name":"Best Use of Science","winners_count":1,"reward":null,"definition":"The best and most valid use of science and/or the scientific method.","criteria":["scientific-validity"]},{"name":"Best Use of Data","winners_count":1,"reward":null,"definition":"Best makes space data accessible or leverages it for a unique application.","criteria":["design-ux","originality"]},{"name":"Best Use of Technology","winners_count":1,"reward":null,"definition":"The most innovative use of technology.","criteria":["technical-depth","originality"]},{"name":"Galactic Impact","winners_count":1,"reward":null,"definition":"The most potential to improve life on Earth or in the universe.","criteria":["impact"]},{"name":"Best Mission Concept","winners_count":1,"reward":null,"definition":"The most plausible concept and design.","criteria":["scientific-validity","challenge-relevance"]},{"name":"Most Inspirational","winners_count":1,"reward":null,"definition":"The project that captures our hearts.","criteria":["storytelling-pitch","impact"]},{"name":"Best Use of Storytelling","winners_count":1,"reward":null,"definition":"Most creatively communicates the potential of open data through the art of storytelling.","criteria":["storytelling-pitch"]},{"name":"Global Connection","winners_count":1,"reward":null,"definition":"Best connects people around the world through technology.","criteria":["impact"]},{"name":"Art & Technology","winners_count":1,"reward":null,"definition":"Most effectively combines technical and creative skills.","criteria":["design-ux","technical-depth"]},{"name":"Local Impact","winners_count":1,"reward":null,"definition":"The greatest potential for local impact.","criteria":["impact"]}],"judging":{"criteria":[{"lens":"impact","label":"Impact","description":"How much good the project can do, in quality and quantity; a big or a small problem; helps many or few. Called 'Influence' in the 2024 guide."},{"lens":"originality","label":"Creativity","description":"How novel the approach is, versus an incremental improvement on something that exists."},{"lens":"scientific-validity","label":"Validity","description":"Scientifically valid; does what it sets out to do; can work in the real world."},{"lens":"challenge-relevance","label":"Relevance","description":"Responsive to the chosen challenge; complete; technically feasible; usable."},{"lens":"storytelling-pitch","label":"Presentation","description":"How well the team tells the story: the challenge, the proposed solution and why it matters."}],"judge_profile_summary":"Three phases. Local and Universal Event judges choose Global Nominees (about one per ten projects in the 2024 guide); NASA and Space Agency Partner subject-matter experts choose 45 Global Finalists plus Honorable Mentions; an executive committee of agency leaders assigns the 10 Global Awards.","judges":[],"notes":"Each criterion is scored 1–5 at every level. Local Awards are separate and do not qualify a team for global judging."},"required_tech":["At least one NASA data source or resource"],"sponsors":[],"submission_requirements":["Project page on spaceappschallenge.org in English; a demo video in another language needs English subtitles","Use and link at least one NASA data source or resource","Disclose every AI tool used; watermark AI-generated images and video; acknowledge AI-generated code, data, audio and text","No NASA branding (logo, flag, mission identifiers)","1–6 members, all registered for the same Local Event","Submit before 23:59 local time on the last day; no edits afterwards","'Create Your Own Challenge' projects are not eligible for global judging"],"results_status":"partial","roster_coverage":"winners-only","entries":[{"name":"SpaceGenes+","project":"spacegenes-plus"},{"name":"Resonant Exoplanets","project":"resonant-exoplanets"},{"name":"SkySense (Twisters)","project":"skysense"},{"name":"Astro Sweepers","project":"astro-sweepers"},{"name":"PureFlow","project":"pureflow"},{"name":"Photonics Odyssey","project":"photonics-odyssey"},{"name":"HerCode Space","project":"hercode-space"},{"name":"Gaia+LEO","project":"gaia-leo"},{"name":"Zumorroda-X","project":"zumorroda-x"},{"name":"QUEÑARIS","project":"quenaris"}],"organizer_takeaways":[{"claim":"Many teams do well on the first four criteria and under-invest in presentation; devote real time to the pitch and story, and recruit storytelling and design skills.","source":4},{"claim":"The 10 winning teams came from 8 countries and territories, selected from 18,860 participating teams.","source":5}],"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/stem-engagement-at-nasa/nasa-announces-2025-international-space-apps-challenge-global-winners/","kind":"official-results","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14","note":"10 Global Winners with award, challenge, country and description; 114,000+ participants, 551 events, 167 countries, 11,500+ submissions."},{"url":"https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/2025/awards/","kind":"official-event-page","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14","note":"Award definitions and the three judging phases."},{"url":"https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/2025/awards/global-finalists/","kind":"official-results","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14","note":"45 Global Finalists (count only; list not indexed)."},{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAm_2GB7PGc","kind":"official-event-page","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14","note":"Official 2025 Project Submission and Judging & Awards video: criteria names, 1–5 scale, AI disclosure, deadline."},{"url":"https://www.scribd.com/document/876777314/Judging-Awards-Guideline","kind":"official-event-page","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14","note":"Third-party-hosted copy of the organizer's 2024 Judging & Awards guide (criteria definitions, presentation advice); the official guide page did not render."},{"url":"https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/2025/meet-the-2025-global-winners/","kind":"official-results","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14","note":"18,860 teams; winners from 8 countries and territories."},{"url":"https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/2025/challenges/","kind":"official-event-page","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14","note":"18 challenges (list rendered client-side; only the 8 with a Global Winner are listed as tracks)."}],"curator_notes":"Tracks list only the 8 of 18 challenges that produced a Global Winner. Three of the ten awards went to 'Commercializing LEO' — a count among winners, not a base rate. Team pages render client-side and could not be extracted on 2026-09-14, so project analyses rest on NASA's announcement. NASA publishes member names abbreviated; CrafterWIKI stores team size only."}