National Competitions

How to apply?

Most ESA Member and Associate States host national CanSat competitions every year. If this is the case in your country, you should first participate in your national CanSat competition. Once you have found your country page, understand what the deadlines are to apply. Once your application is ready, apply directly through the ‘apply here’ button. Participation is open to:

  • Teams of 3-6 young people aged 14 to 19 years old.
  • You must sign up with a teacher or mentor.
  • Participants must be from an ESA Member State, Canada, Lithuania, Slovakia or Slovenia.
  • Students enrolled at a post-secondary/tertiary institution are not eligible to apply.

Participating countries

For a National CanSat Competition to be recognised by ESA:

  • The national organisers must guarantee a fair geographical distribution and participation of teams from across their country.
  • The national organisers must run their national competitions no later than 11 May 2025 in order to guarantee their winning teams the possibility to participate in the ‘Space Engineer for a Day’ learning and celebration event.
  • The national organisers don’t necessarily have to follow the ESA official requirements.
  • The national organisers should have the intention of continuing the CanSat national activity in the future and try to guarantee editions on a yearly basis.

The following countries host National CanSat Competitions recognised by ESA:

Can’t find your country? Unfortunately your country does not organize an CanSat competition and it is therefore not possible to register for this event.

Support

Teachers/Mentors participating in National Competitions may be offered support from their National Organisers, such as:

  • CanSat Kits
  • CanSat Teacher’s workshop for mentors
  • CanSat Webinars with space experts
  • Supporting learning materials (e.g., the ESA CanSat resources or national resources)
  • Individual recommendations/help throughout the project
  • Reviewed versions of submitted documents

Reporting

Teams will need to submit different reports to their national organisers for them to track the team’s progress. These reports are typically:

  • Preliminary Design Review (PLR)
  • Critical Design Review (CDR)
  • Final Design Review (FDR)