How do I submit my student’s essay?
Teachers in Australia must use the online submission form.
Who can participate in the essay contest?
This contest is open to all students in Australia in grades 5 to 11.
Can home-schooled students enter this essay contest?
Yes.
Do I need to include citations or a bibliography?
Your teacher may require you to include citations and/or a bibliography if the essay is a class assignment. For the purposes of the contest, however, we don’t require one, and the judges won’t read bibliographies. You do not need to send us a bibliography along with your essay.
What is the prize for Australian (non U.S.) contest winners?
All Australian winners of the Scientist for a Day essay contest will have their essays posted on NASA’s Solar System Exploration website. Australian winners and their classes will be invited to participate in videoconferences or teleconferences with NASA JPL scientists and/or engineers so the students can have their questions answered. All participants will receive a certificate.
Can students at a Museum, Science Centre, Astronomy Club or After-school program participate?
Yes, but please have your program coordinator contact us at onegiantleap@bigpond.com for the details on how to submit.
Can I choose to write about more than one moon?
No, you have to choose just one moon in your essay. Being able to describe which target you think will return the most interesting scientific data is one of the main points of this activity.
English is not my first language. Does my essay have to be written in English?
The contest for students in Australia is only accepting essays in English.
Can students from different grades work together?
Yes, but you must indicate the grade level for each student who wrote the essay, and the essay will be judged in the grade category of the oldest student who collaborated on the essay.