Robotics Teacher Looking For The Next Challenge?
No Hardware. No Build Budget. Real Space Mission.
Our Space Design Competitions are the perfect complement to FIRST Robotics. Participants join a team of peers and design a futuristic Martian habitat, then defend the design against industry peers.
At a glance
Grades 7–12
One or Two Day Events
Cost varies by event
Where we run
Nine locations across nine states — six running now, three in planning. Reserve a spot and we will point you to the one nearest you.
- UNLV, Las Vegas, NV — Space Design, running now
- Innovation Gateway, MSU Mankato, Mankato, MN — Environmental Design, running now
- Brook T Smith Launchpad @ Clemson University, Clemson, SC — Space Design, running now
- Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, Ashland, NE — Space Design, running now
- CSU Spur, Denver, CO — Environmental Design, running now
- South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD — Space Design, running now
- Iowa State University, Ames, IA — Space Design, in planning
- St Mary's School, Raleigh, NC — Space Design, in planning
- Baylor University, Waco, TX — Space Design, in planning
- Denver · CSU Spur
- Ames · Iowa State University · in planning
- Mankato · Innovation Gateway, MSU Mankato
- Raleigh · St Mary's School · in planning
- Ashland · Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum
- Las Vegas · UNLV
- Clemson · Brook T Smith Launchpad @ Clemson University
- Brookings · South Dakota State University
- Waco · Baylor University · in planning
Why design competitions
Built for the season you have not got room for
A design competition trains the skills a build season cannot, and ours are scheduled so they never compete with yours.
Complementary Skills
Design Competitions are theoretical design exercises, focused on building ‘soft skills’ in future engineers — communications, large group management, design trade-offs.
Off Season Training
Scheduled to offset robotics — keep your students engaged and learning.
Cost Effective STEM
No build budget, minimal travel. Teacher Grant Program available.
Real students, real competitions
Scenes from past Stellr design challenges.
Credit: © Stellr Education
© Stellr Education
What participants and judges say
Space design competition
Reserve a spot
Tell us who you are and roughly how many students you would bring. We will schedule a call so provide additional information and help you manage your registration.
- Preferential registration for your student/s
- A short call to answer your questions
- Teacher Grant Program and scholarship information
Questions
Before you ask us
Does my school need to enter a full team?
No. Students are placed into ‘companies’ on the day alongside peers from other programs, so you can bring one student or a dozen.
How does this fit around our robotics season?
Design competitions are scheduled to offset the robotics calendar, so they keep students engaged without competing with build or competition season.
What do students need to bring?
Laptops or tablets if they have them available. For our overnight events living essentials. There is no hardware to build and no build budget to raise.
What is the Teacher Grant Program?
Support for teachers who bring a group of students to a competition. We will go through the current terms on your call.
What does it cost?
Registration is set per event and is all inclusive. Scholarships are available at every event.
Where are competitions held?
Nine locations across nine states, on university and museum campuses. Tell us where you are and we will point you to the nearest.
How many students should I bring?
Anywhere from one to a dozen works. Students are mixed into companies with peers from other programs, so group size does not affect their experience.
Do I need to know the subject matter to bring a group?
No. Mentors and judges from industry run the technical side across the weekend. Your role is getting students there.