01 / You do not need to know rockets
You do not need to be a space expert.
Mars Challenge is not looking only for engineers, coders or technical specialists.
It needs different ways of seeing the same problem.
You may come from engineering, design, law, psychology, business, communication, health, education, economics, art, social sciences, the humanities or somewhere else entirely.
You may not yet know what your field is.
That is fine.
You do not need expertise to begin.
You need to ask good questions, investigate, separate evidence from assumption and work with people who can see what you cannot.
Not knowing the answer is not failure.
It is where the work starts.
02 / You are not a spectator here
You are an author.
Young participants in Mars Challenge are called Zers.
The name matters less than the role.
The team investigates.
The team chooses.
The team designs.
The team builds.
The team presents.
And the team must explain why it made those decisions.
Mars Challenge is not designed to tell you what to think.
It is designed to create conditions in which you have to think, choose and own the choice.
03 / What you know matters. So does what everyone else knows.
One discipline sees part of the problem. A team can see more.
Real problems do not arrive divided into university departments.
A water problem can also be about engineering, regulation, behaviour, economics, health, culture and trust.
That is why different forms of knowledge belong in the same team.
Not because everyone should know the same things.
Because they should not.
From the national stage onwards in 2026, teams must bring together at least three different areas of knowledge.
04 / You start with yourself. Then the problem begins.
Before you design a solution, you need to know what you bring.
The 2026 participant journey has 12 phases.
It begins by identifying strengths.
Then roles.
Then ideas.
Research.
Problem definition.
Alternatives.
Prototyping.
Feedback.
Revision.
Presentation.
Teams can go back and improve earlier work.
Changing your mind is not necessarily failure.
Sometimes it is evidence that you understand the problem better than you did before.
05 / You do not finish with an opinion. You finish with work.
Three main outputs make the journey visible.
The 2026 participant process produces three central artefacts.
Concept Document
A record of the process.
Prototype
A representation of how the proposed solution works.
Presentation
A concise defence of the problem, reasoning and proposed solution.
An idea matters.
But the process must become visible.
06 / Mars is the stress test. Earth is the responsibility.
Why Mars?
Because extreme conditions expose weak assumptions.
Scarce resources.
A hostile environment.
Isolation.
Interdependent systems.
Very little room for error.
Earth-Back Thinking uses Mars as a stress test.
Design under extreme constraints.
Then ask:
what comes back to Earth?
Mars is the context.
Earth is the responsibility.
07 / AI can help. The decision is still yours.
Using AI does not mean outsourcing judgement.
AI can help you research.
Visualise.
Compare.
Generate alternatives.
Support a prototype.
Improve an explanation.
But somebody still has to decide whether the output deserves trust.
Who defines the problem?
Who checks assumptions?
Who notices missing context?
Who brings another discipline into the conversation?
Who chooses between imperfect options?
Who explains the consequences?
You do.
In a world where answers become easier to generate, human value moves towards judgement.
From judgement to decision.
From decision to responsible action.
08 / You will have support. Nobody will do the work for you.
A mentor guides. A mentor does not become the author.
You may receive questions, feedback and methodological support.
But the youth team remains responsible for ideation, design, development and presentation.
The purpose of support is to help you think.
Not to replace your thinking.
09 / A great idea is not enough
You will be judged on more than originality.
In 2026, nine criteria carry equal weight:
Impact.
Creativity.
Solution design.
Level of completion.
Learning.
Validity.
Technical relevance.
Presentation.
Return to humanity.
A clever idea without evidence, development or a clear argument remains incomplete.
10 / Your project can go further. Nothing is guaranteed.
There is more than one route.
The 2026 architecture contains two main official routes.
ORIGINALS
The project remains the central thread and may evolve through national and international evaluation.
CHAMPS
The participant becomes the central representative and new teams may be formed in subsequent Challenges.
Progression may connect local, national and international stages.
But participation does not guarantee progression.
Progression does not guarantee a prize.
11 / What you take with you is bigger than a prize
A prize may exist. It is not the centre of the experience.
Complete the process and you will have had to investigate, decide, build, explain, receive criticism and revise.
You will have produced evidence of work:
a documented process;
a project;
a prototype;
a presentation;
feedback;
a chain of decisions you can explain.
That does not guarantee a job, scholarship, award or personal transformation.
It does something more precise.
It gives you a chance to put what you think you can do in contact with reality.
Some calls may also include recognition, educational experiences, visibility, networking, mentoring or certification.
Those benefits depend on the specific call, stage and country.
12 / You are not starting from zero
Thousands of young people have already taken on the mission.
Across 2023–2025, programme documentation records:
2,000+ young people
8 participating countries
240+ documented projects
These figures do not prove causal impact.
They show documented participation and work.
13 / Who can take part in 2026?
Rules depend on the edition. These are the general conditions for 2026.
General age range: 15–29.
This range applies at registration. Regulated exceptions are assessed case by case.
Participants may come from any area of knowledge, profile or interest.
Formal enrolment in education is not a universal requirement, although eligibility rules apply.
Teams cannot exceed six participants.
From national level onwards, teams must include at least three distinct areas of knowledge.
Participants under 18 are subject to the applicable legal consent and safeguarding requirements.
These are 2026 rules.
Future editions may change them.
14 / 2026: the mission is Earth
Six people. Mars. A mission of roughly two years. And the systems that make life possible.
The 2026 Global Element is Earth.
Soil.
Resources.
Habitats.
Resilience.
Production.
Living systems.
Teams must develop proposals that make sense under Mars-like extreme constraints and explain what the learning returns to Earth.
That return is not an optional extra.
It is part of the mission.
15 / If this makes you slightly uncomfortable, it may be for you
You do not need to arrive with the answer.
You need to be willing to enter the process.
Ask.
Investigate.
Listen.
Challenge assumptions.
Choose.
Build.
Fail.
Change.
And take responsibility for what your team proposes.
In 2026, access may happen through open calls or official selection mechanisms.
The first step is to find your route in.
16 / Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to study engineering?
No. In 2026, Mars Challenge accepts participants from different areas of knowledge, profiles and interests.
Do I need to know about Mars?
No. You will investigate what is relevant to your challenge. The experience is designed for learning, without requiring prior space expertise.
Do I need to be a student?
Not necessarily under the 2026 rules, although eligibility and call-specific requirements apply.
How old do I need to be?
In the 2026 edition, the general age range is 15–29. Regulated exceptions are assessed case by case.
Can I use AI?
Yes, AI tools can be used responsibly. The team remains responsible for verifying information, defining the problem, making decisions and defending the solution.
Can I participate on my own?
Challenges work through teams. How you join a team depends on the stage and call. In 2026, no team can exceed six participants.
Does my team have to be multidisciplinary?
At the local stage in 2026, this depends on the context. From the national stage onwards, teams must include at least three different areas of knowledge.
Can a mentor help us build the solution?
A mentor can guide, ask questions and give feedback. Ideation, design, development and presentation belong to the young team.
Does everyone reach the international stage?
No. Progression depends on the route, evaluation and selection processes.
Does everybody win something?
No. The official 2026 rules make clear that participation does not guarantee prizes or other benefits.
Then why take part?
Because it is an opportunity to bring knowledge, creativity, collaboration and judgement to a problem without an answer printed at the back of the book.