The African Space Leadership Institute (ASLI) invites students and young professionals to participate in the fourth edition of the Space for Africa Essay Competition. This edition requires an essay on the theme “Leveraging Space Science and Technology for Water Security and Safe Sanitation in Africa.” This theme is in line with the AU theme for 2026.
The aim of the competition is to introduce students and young professionals to economics, policy and African affairs, with particular focus on the aerospace sector.
QUALIFICATIONS
In order to qualify to apply for the competition, you should be a:
> citizen of a Member State of the African Union.
> student or a young professional between 18-35 years.
GUIDELINES
> Essay should not be more than 1500 words in length. Written in English.
> Can include no more than 4 relevant pictures. All pictures should be given credits.
> Where necessary, essay should contain appropriate references which are accessible online. No footnotes, endnotes nor references at end of essay. All references should be inserted within the essay as hypertext.
> Only one entry is allowed per applicant.
> Essays that do not follow the guidelines will be disqualified.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
The essays will be evaluated based on:
> Content: How well does the essay address the goal? Does the author include real life issues and/or examples?
> Structure: Is the essay organized in a logical manner?
> Clarity: Are arguments clear?
> Logic of ideas: Do the arguments and examples support the author’s main idea?
> Potential impact: How do the recommendations and/or solutions address the goal discussed? Are the recommendations and/or solutions pragmatic?
PRIZES
> Best two essays will receive scholarship to participate in the 2026 Africa Space Generation Workshop (AF-SGW). Participation in the conference is subject to meeting the conference requirements.
> Top essays in each category will receive full scholarship to participate in the African Space Policy and Strategy course at ASLI. On successful completion of the course, participants will receive a Certificate.
> Winning essays will be published on physical and virtual platforms.
SUBMISSION
Essay (in MS word format) and CV can be uploaded here.
Deadline for entries is 11:59 GMT, 10th May 2026.
Winning essays will be publicly announced by June 2026.
ASLI reserves the right to publish or not publish winning essays on its physical and online platforms. Authors will be given due credits.
For further inquiries, kindly send an email to info@aslispace.org. (Essays should not be sent to this email. They should be uploaded using the link above.)