SWFT National Space Sustainability Competition 2025–2026
teams are forming at Pvnet
Grades 6-8
LET'S CREATE A SUSTAINABLE LUNAR SETTLEMENT!
Join us for the National Space Sustainability Competition or as we call it at PVNet, the
SWFT National Space Foundation Competition
Designing a Sustainable Future on the Moon & in Orbit
A nationwide challenge inviting students in grades 6–8 to imagine how humans can live and work sustainably on the Moon.
This year-long competition inspires young innovators to design habitats, systems, and tools that enable long-term lunar life — while fostering creativity, engineering skills, and environmental awareness.
👩🚀 Who Can Join
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Grades 6-8
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You will be part of a team of 2–4 members and, you can even create your own team.
🧠 What to Create
Teams will submit three components:
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📄 Lunar Mission Brief: Explain the challenge, solution, and sustainability goals.
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⚙️ STEM Design Component: Include a CAD model, system diagram, or prototype.
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🎥 Video Pitch (3 minutes): Showcase the team’s creativity and engineering solution.
🏆 Prizes & Recognition
Winning teams receive STEM scholarships and national recognition on National Space Day – May 1, 2026. More prizes will be announced soon.
✨ PVNet’s Legacy of Excellence
Last year, PVNet teams swept the competition taking both 1st and 2nd place nationally in the SWFT Competition! Their outstanding work earned them an exclusive tour of SpaceX and a trip to Washington, D.C., where they met a NASA astronaut and shared their projects with industry leaders.
PVNet's 1st Place Team for the SWFT Sustainability Competition 2024-2025. The competition was to find solutions to clean space debris
PVNet's 2nd Place Team for the SWFT Sustainability Competition 2024-2025. The competition was to find solutions to clean space debris
📅 Important Dates
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First Meeting: 🗓️ November 16, 2025 at 4-6 PM
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Submission Deadline: 🗓️ January 31, 2026
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Winner Announcement: 🌟 May 1, 2026 (National Space Day)
Important Notes!
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Be sure to attend the first meeting at PVNet to receive special instructions before registering on the official SWFT website.
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To join this competition register on PVNet's class catalog: SWFT National Space Foundation Competition: Designing a Sustainable Future on the Moon (#1086)
Register to join the competition here: Click Here
Official Competition Rules & Guidelines can be found here: Click Here
🚀 Why Participate
This is a unique opportunity for middle-school students to collaborate, innovate, and help shape the future of sustainable space exploration — on Earth, the Moon, and beyond.
Please note: The SWFT Competition itself is completely free to all participants.
However, PVNet, a nonprofit, self-funded, and primarily volunteer-staffed organization, incurs significant expenses to host student teams and mentors at our facility during the competition.
To help offset a small portion of these costs, we require a $100 participation fee for students competing through PVNet. This fee represents approximately 0.5% of PVNet’s actual cost to provide this opportunity and support your child’s experience in the competition.