This image — developed by a team of artists from the Advanced Concepts Lab at NASA’s Langley Research Center — features astronauts performing science on the surface of the Moon and Mars. The team developed the image with a blend of digital 2D illustration and 3D techniques to mimic a retro science fiction painting. (Credit: NASA)
This past year, NASA asked artists worldwide to imagine the future of deep space exploration in artwork meant to inspire the Artemis generation. The NASA Moon to Mars Architecture art challenge sought creative images that represent the agency’s bold vision for crewed exploration of the lunar surface and the Red Planet. Today, the agency publicly announces the competition’s winners.
This collage features all the winners of the NASA Moon to Mars Architecture Art Challenge.
(Credit: Jimmy Catanzaro, Jean-Luc Sabourin, Irene Magi, Pavlo Kandyba, Antonella Di Cristofaro, Francesco Simone, Mia Nickell, Lux Bodell, Olivia De Grande, Sophie Duan)
The challenge, hosted by yet2 through NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program, asked artists around the globe to consider NASA’s Moon to Mars Architecture development effort, which uses systems engineering processes to distil NASA’s Moon to Mars Objectives into the systems needed to accomplish them. When submissions had closed, the competition had received over 313 submissions from 22 U.S. states and 47 countries internationally.
To learn more about the metrics and success of the prize challenge, download the case study here.
The architecture currently includes four segments of increasing complexity. For this competition, NASA sought artistic representations of the two furthest on the timeline: the Sustained Lunar Evolution segment and the Humans to Mars segment.
- The Sustained Lunar Evolution segment is an open canvas for exploration of the Moon, embracing new ideas, systems, and partners to grow to a long-term presence on the lunar surface. Sustained lunar evolution means more astronauts on the Moon for longer periods of time, increased opportunities for science, and even the large-scale production of goods and services derived from lunar resources. It also means increased cooperation and collaboration with international partners and the aerospace industry to build a robust lunar economy.
- The Humans to Mars segment will see the first human missions to Mars, building on the lessons we learn from exploring the Moon. These early missions will focus on Martian exploration and establishing the foundation for a sustained Mars presence. NASA architects are examining a wide variety of options for transportation, habitation, power generation, utilization of Martian resources, scientific investigations, and more.
Final judging for the competition took place at NASA’s annual Architecture Concept Review meeting. That review brought together agency leadership from NASA mission directorates, centers, and technical authorities to review the 2024 updates to the Moon to Mars Architecture. A total of $10,000 was awarded to the winners. NASA selected the winning images below during that review:
Sustained Lunar Evolution Segment Winners
First Place:
Jimmy Catanzaro
Henderson, Nevada
Second Place:
Jean-Luc Sabourin
Ottawa, Canada
Third Place (Tie):
Irene Magi
Prato, Italy
Third Place (Tie):
Pavlo Kandyba
Kyiv, Ukraine
Humans to Mars Segment Winners
First Place (Tie):
Antonella Di Cristofaro
Chieti, Italy
First Place (Tie):
Francesco Simone
Gatteo, Italy
Third Place:
Mia Nickell
Suwanee, Georgia
Under 18 Submission Winners
First Place:
Lux Bodell
Minnetonka, Minnesota
Second Place:
Olivia De Grande
Milan, Italy
Third Place:
Sophie Duan
Ponte Vedra, Florida
The NASA Tournament Lab, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, managed the challenge. The program supports global public competitions and crowdsourcing as tools to advance NASA research and development and other mission needs.
