01 / From beneficiary to author
From beneficiary to author
Many programmes are designed for young people.
Mars Challenge adds another possibility:
create a space in which young people produce.
Questions.
Decisions.
Prototypes.
Projects.
Arguments.
They move from receiving an opportunity to taking authorship.
02 / Not every young person belongs to the same institution
Not every young person belongs to the same institution
Participants may be in formal education or not.
Belonging to one specific school or university is not a universal requirement.
Participation may occur through:
institutions;
organisations;
open calls;
other authorised mechanisms.
This creates a particularly strong role for youth organisations.
03 / Your network is already an infrastructure
Your network is already an infrastructure
Regions.
Communities.
Youth centres.
Associations.
Schools.
Universities.
Coordinators.
Mentors.
Partners.
Mars Challenge can build on a network that already exists.
The first step is understanding who you reach and how.
04 / An organisation can enter in several ways
An organisation can enter in several ways
The roles described in this section are based on the 2026 Rules. Authorisation, agreements and responsibilities must be confirmed for the current edition.
Subject to authorisation and governance, an organisation may operate as:
a participating institution;
a Local Organiser;
a Collaborating Entity;
or, through formal designation,
a National Partner.
The first question should not be price.
It should be:
What role do we want to play?
05 / 1. Activate your own young people
1. Activate your own young people
Start with the community you already know.
Mars Challenge can add a common challenge, process, teams, mentoring, project production, criteria and conditional progression routes.
06 / 2. Become a Local Organiser
2. Become a Local Organiser
The roles described in this section are based on the 2026 Rules. Authorisation, agreements and responsibilities must be confirmed for the current edition.
An authorised foundation or organisation may implement a local Challenge or Mars Jam.
That means real responsibilities:
planning;
outreach;
registration;
safety;
inclusion;
official criteria;
progression to later stages.
07 / 3. Connect communities, institutions and territories
3. Connect communities, institutions and territories
A foundation's value may lie in connecting organisations that do not usually work together.
Mars Challenge can create a shared problem around which those communities collaborate.
08 / 4. Take on governance when formally designated
4. Take on governance when formally designated
The roles described in this section are based on the 2026 Rules. Authorisation, agreements and responsibilities must be confirmed for the current edition.
A National Partner coordinates national implementation under a specific governance relationship.
It is not an automatic status.
For organisations with national capacity, it can become a separate strategic conversation.
09 / 5. Collaborate without running the full operation
5. Collaborate without running the full operation
The roles described in this section are based on the 2026 Rules. Authorisation, agreements and responsibilities must be confirmed for the current edition.
The Rules also contemplate Collaborating Entities.
The specific scope must be agreed.
Specific rights, benefits and obligations must be confirmed in the formal collaboration agreement.
10 / Young people need support, not substitution
Young people need support, not substitution
Mentors guide.
Question.
Give feedback.
They do not develop the solution for the team.
Youth authorship remains protected.
11 / Access does not stop at the school gate
Access does not stop at the school gate
The general 2026 age range is 15–29.
Within the applicable rules, participation can include both students and young people outside formal study.
12 / Global only matters when it can return to the local
Global only matters when it can return to the local
Earth-Back Thinking uses Mars as a stress test for questions that matter on Earth.
Global challenges can therefore be explored through local contexts.
Without claiming that every project automatically produces local impact.
13 / An activity disappears. A project leaves evidence.
An activity disappears. A project leaves evidence.
Research.
Concept documents.
Prototypes.
Presentations.
Iterations.
Feedback.
The organisation can observe what young people did, not simply count attendance.
14 / In the AI era, access to technology is not enough
In the AI era, access to technology is not enough
Access matters.
So does the ability to:
verify;
contextualise;
choose;
decide;
take responsibility.
15 / Working with young people also means protecting them
Working with young people also means protecting them
Safeguarding.
Consent.
Data.
Inclusion.
Safety.
Adult support.
These are real responsibilities for implementing organisations.
16 / There is already a documented track record
There is already a documented track record
Across 2023–2025:
2,000+ young people
8 countries
240+ documented projects
730+ mentors and teachers
These are participation metrics.
Not causal evidence of social impact.
17 / Participation is not automatic impact
Participation is not automatic impact
Counting participants does not prove transformation.
A foundation that needs impact measurement should define its intended outcomes, indicators and evidence.
Mars Challenge can contribute observable process data.
It does not replace impact evaluation.
18 / 2026: Earth
2026: Earth
Soil.
Resources.
Habitats.
Living systems.
Sustainability.
Resilience.
Return to Earth.
19 / There is no single correct way to enter
There is no single correct way to enter
First define:
who you want to activate;
where;
at what scale;
with what operational capacity;
and what role you want to play.
Then design the route.
20 / Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Can a foundation participate in Mars Challenge?
Yes. The 2026 Official Rules explicitly recognise foundations, civil society organisations and educational collectives. Confirm the applicable route for the current edition.
Do we have to be an educational institution?
No.
Do young people have to be enrolled in a school or university?
Not necessarily. The 2026 Rules allow participants who are or are not in formal education, subject to eligibility conditions and the applicable call.
Can we invite young people from our own network?
Participation can take place through organisations and authorised calls, in accordance with the applicable route.
Can we organise a local Mars Challenge?
A foundation or organisation can do so if it is authorised as a Local Organiser and fulfils the established responsibilities.
Can we work across several cities?
The architecture allows territorial and multilevel participation. The specific implementation must be agreed with the relevant governance structure.
Can we become a National Partner?
Only through formal designation and a specific agreement. This is not automatic.
Can we collaborate without organising?
The 2026 Rules recognise collaborating entities. The specific scope must be defined in the applicable agreement.
How old are the young participants?
In 2026, the general rule is 15–29, with regulated exceptions. Confirm the current edition’s criteria.
Can we include young people outside formal education?
Under the 2026 Rules, lack of formal enrolment alone does not prevent participation if other criteria are fulfilled. Confirm the current call’s conditions.
Does Mars Challenge fund projects?
Not by default. Participation does not imply direct project funding.
Are projects automatically implemented?
No.
Does participation guarantee social impact?
No. Participation and impact are different concepts.