Topic: A Letter to ET 

Submission:  https://bit.ly/3G0mPO1   by March 10, 2023

For hundreds of years, people have turned their eyes to the stars and wondered if there are other life out there. Does life exist elsewhere in our Galaxy? Recently, a space-bound message named the Beacon in the Galaxy (BITG) has been developed by scientists as the latest human attempts to contact extraterrestrial lifeforms in the universe (https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4434/10/2/55).

CESASC is launching a STEAM Essay Contest to solicit a proposed letter and/or an artist drawing to introduce humanity to extra-terrestrial civilizations for inclusion aboard a near future interstellar spacecraft. This letter and drawing can also be used to teach humans about our story and to promote STEAM learning. The finalists will be awarded a cash prize up to $1000 and a CESASC Award Certificate and will be invited to visit the highly advanced CalTech Jet Populsion Lab laboratory. The winning letter might have the future possibility to be further selected by the NASA deep space mission to be sent to the universe. Complete application form at CESASC website at https://cesasc.org/essay2023. The period open for submission is January 30 to March 10, 2023. Winner to be announced on March 20, 2023.

This 2023 essay contest encompasses a combination of physical science and social science reasoning to address the interdisciplinary nature of this topic. In your essay, discuss your ideas of paths for our civilization to grow and survive in the future.

• Open to All K-12 students. 
• We will accept submissions from both individuals and teams, worldwide. 
• $1000 First Prize plus Second & Third place prizes will be awarded.

Each of the submissions will be judged by a panel of science and technology experts. Each entrant should submit a PDF document of no more than 15 pages including at least one diagram or figure. Submissions can be made using a Google Form which is linked to below. Teams should include the names of each team member in the first page of the essay. Correct contact information including email and phone will need to be provided so that finalists and winners may be contacted. Winners will need to attend the award ceremony on 61st CESASC Annual Convention to be held at San Gabriel Hilton on Saturday, April 1st, 2023 to receive the prize.

Teachers and Mentors: Please help us spread the word about the Essay Contest to display in your classroom and distribute to interested students.

Essay Contest Awards

• First Place:  $1,000 scholarship and free registration for CESASC’s Annual Convention on April 1^st, 2023 (Transportation to the conference is not provided.)
• Second Place:  $500 scholarship
• Third Place:  $250 scholarship