Art Inspired by Exploration: NASA Unveils Architecture Art Challenge Winners

NASA asked artists 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. The agency has selected the recipients of the art challenge competition.  

The challenge, hosted by contractor yet2 through NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program, was open to artists from around the globe. Guidelines asked artists to consider NASA’s Moon to Mars Architecture development effort, which uses engineering processes to distil NASA’s Moon to Mars Objectives into the systems needed to accomplish them. NASA received 313 submissions from 22 U.S. states and 47 countries.

The architecture 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. 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

Pavlo Kandyba – Kyiv, Ukraine

Humans to Mars Segment Winners

First Place (Tie):

Antonella Di Cristofaro – Chieti, Italy

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.