Mars Mission Patch Design Contest

Congratulations to all of our winners!

Grades K-2 Winners:

1st Place
Anina Mishra
“Terraform Mars”
Grade K

2nd Place AND Popular Vote Winner
Ishaan Khanna
“Mars Mission Patch Design Contest”
Grade 1

3rd Place
Erin Duffy
“Next Stop Mars”
Grade 2

Grades 3-5 Winners:

1st Place
Do-Yun (Paul) Kim
“Mission Mars”
Grade 5

2nd Place
Ashish Mishra
“Terraform Mars”
Grade 3

3rd Place
Irene Im
“You’ve Reached”
Grade 5

Grades 6-9 Winners:

1st Place
Ruoyan Li
“Mission Mars (Return Mission)”
Grade 7

2nd Place – TIE
Marlee Mulcahy
“Mars 2020 Perseveranace Rover”
Grade 7

2nd Place – TIE
Arpith Mishra
“Terraform Mars”
Grade 7

2nd Place – TIE
Sara Munro
“A Mission for All of Us”
Grade 9

Grades 10-12 Winners:

1st Place
Xavier Foo
“The Red Planet”
Grade 10

2nd Place
Lana Ingerslev
“Princeps”
Grade 10

Special Talents Winner

1st Place
Alex Sherman
“Monkey and Frog Robot Mars Mission”
Grade 5

Mars is Calling!

To celebrate our summer of Mars, the Museum of Science is holding a Mars Mission Patch Design Contest. Let your love of art and adventure join forces!!

Open to youth entering grades K-12 with an additional challenge for grades 9-12!! See below for Submission Parameters.

Mission patches are emblems designed and worn by astronauts and people affiliated with a mission. The patches depict an image associated with the mission and generally list the names of the crew. Mission patches have been worn by astronauts since 1965.

Mission Objective

Design a patch for a mission to Mars.
The mission can be a real, planned mission like Mars Sample Return, or it can be for a future crewed mission with you in the commander’s seat, or anything between and beyond!
Use one of the provided standard mission patch templates, OR create a shape of your own.

Mission Window

Submit your patch between July 24 and August 11 at 11:59 pm EDT.

We will announce the winners (first, second, third) for each category on August 17.

Submit Your Patch Here

Mission Parameters

Youth Artists must be entering grades K – 12.
All entries must be two dimensional and original works (Artificial Intelligence (AI) is trained on others’ work, and therefore is ineligible for this contest.)
Entries will be divided into the following grade categories:
- Grades K – 2 (rising)
- Grades 3 – 5 (rising)
- Grades 6 – 8 (rising)
- Grades 9 – 12 (rising)
- Special Talents: This is an optional category for K –12 artists with special needs who prefer to submit their artwork in a different category than their current grade.

Grades 9 – 12…Let’s make this a bit more fun! Please follow NASA’s official mission patch design parameters.

Use no more than 8 solid colors.
No gradient colors or photography, with the exception: If you work in physical media (paint, embroidery, etc.), please submit a photograph of your final design.
Letters and names must be at least one quarter inch tall.
Names are not required.
There must be a one-sixteenth inch wide border around the outside of the patch.
The patch size is limited to 16 square inches of surface area (e.g., 4" square).

Digital File Requirements

We can only accept artwork in the following formats: .JPEG, .PNG, .GIF, .BMP, .TIFF, .SVG
Resolution of 300 dpi.
The Museum maintains the ability to not accept submissions that are blurry, difficult to view, or not on theme.

Submission Templates

Template for Grades K-8

Template for Grades 9-12

Submit Your Patch Here

Rules

Entries must be received by Friday, August 11, by 11:59 pm EDT. Late entries will not be judged.
Each artist is allowed only one art submission.
- If you are submitting art on behalf of multiple children, please fill out a separate entry form for each child.
Judges will use the following criteria to determine a winner from each category.
- Expression of topic or theme (Exploration of Mars)
- Impact and originality
- Craft, composition, and design
There will also be a Social Media Popular Vote Winner for the artwork with the highest number votes. Votes will be collected via a link that the Museum of Science will share on its social media accounts from August 12th – August 16th. (The Museum reserves the right to limit the number of designs presented for voting.)
Winners will be announced August 17, 2023.

Winning artists will receive a four pack of exhibit hall admission tickets to the Museum of Science. Winning artworks will be displayed at the Museum of Science, made into a 2024 calendar, and the winning designs will be shared on the Museum of Science’s social media pages and website.

Submission of the artwork grants the Museum a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish your student’s/child’s artwork in our educational and promotional print and digital materials, and on social media. All published artworks will be credited [Artist’s First Name, Grade].

Schedule for Today, October 1, 2023

Exhibit Halls

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