NASA is looking into the future, and the space agency is asking young people what it might look like.
As part of a nationwide program run through the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, students from K-12 can submit works of art that interpret “The Next 100 Years” for the space agency.
“The creativity involved in this sort of project is that starting point that is needed,” said Kristina Cors, public outreach specialist at NASA Langley. “If we can’t imagine something, we can’t build it. If we can’t see what it looks like, how is it going to get there? The science and technology is how we make it happen, but the art and imagination is how we take that first step.”
NASA Langley has offered a themed art contest for more than a decade, but it was spread nationwide last year as the agency marked its centennial. More than 850 submissions came in from 41 U.S. states and territories.
“Since we just finished celebrating our first 100 years, now we’re ready to move on,” Cors said. “We felt like now that we’ve celebrated our accomplishments, it’s the next 100 years that are important. What we need to strive for, where we’re going, what that’s going to look like for everyone — not just NASA.”
The artwork can be in the form of drawing, painting, mixed media or digital creation. Entries must be submitted online through artcontest.larc.nasa.gov. Deadline for entries is midnight Dec. 31.
First-place winners will be displayed in the gallery at the Virginia Air and Space Center. All winners and honorable mentions will receive a large packet of souvenirs and educational tools from NASA.
Winning entries from previous years can be viewed at the contest website.
Cors said the promotion, and the emphasis on engaging young people creatively, fits into NASA’s mission of encouraging education in fields related to science and technology.
“We talk a lot about engineering and math and technology, but art has a role in that, too,” she said. “A big part of what we do is coming up with new ways to do things. That requires having a foundation of being able to think creatively — how are we going to make these advancements if we can’t imagine them and picture them first?”
‘The Next 100 Years’
What: NASA art contest with the theme of what the next century will look like for the space agency.
Who: The contest is open to all K-12 students at public, private, parochial schools or home-schooled students.
When: Deadline for entries is midnight Dec. 31.
What: Artwork can be in the form of drawings, paintings, mixed media or digital creations.
Info: For information or submissions, go to artcontest.larc.nasa.gov.
