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Pupils from 14 to 19 years old are invited to express their inspiration from space and to have fun, through the preparation of a project on space science and technology.
Odysseus II contest provides pupils in the Pioneers category with the opportunity to use experimental methods and become aware of a whole new world of scientific excellence.
Register to the Odysseus contest and fill in the registration form and accept the rules of the Contest!
The second step for the team is to choose the topic and the type of their project.
Each entry must address a single topic. However, contestants can choose the subject area with which they tackle the topic: electronics, physics, chemistry, art, design, architecture, psychology etc. can all be used to illuminate an aspect of the chosen topic.
Contestants can choose a topic from the list below:
This list is not exhaustive and any other development of ideas within the framework of the selected themes could be displayed based on the imagination of the students.
The team should choose the type of project they want to work on. This could be an experiment, a video, a prototype, a presentation, or any other set up (View Limitations[1]).
Check the submission template, that is provided by the organisers, which is not obligatory but recommended and which can be found here.
[1] Electronic files uploaded to document each project can include: illustrated essays, PowerPoint presentations, posters, links to videos, links to dedicated project websites, and audio files.
Allowed file formats are:
The maximum limit on the total size of uncompressed files for each entry is: 20 MB
Each project may cost no more than 300 € in materials to produce
The team should make research regarding the selected topic (research in libraries and online, observations and experiments, interviews etc.) and design the solution or the final deliverable of their work. They should consult their teacher-leader, and if applicable also their mentor, about the feasibility and scientific validity of their idea and divide the work between the different team members.
The team can then move on to the development of the project. It is strongly advised for contestants to develop their project in accordance with the Odysseus II contest requirements, to ensure that they avoid plagiarized material and that they provide all the necessary references for their project. Teams should also provide evidence to show how their project is innovative and relevant to the topic they chose. Teams should furthermore use the information and the data they collected while conducting interviews, experiments, observations and research at the library or online.
The final step is the submission of the project at the Odysseus II website. Participants can develop and submit their project in any of the twenty-four (24) official EU languages.
Trip to the Guiana Space Centre (airplane tickets, hotel accommodation, meals, insurance, participation in events, visits and guided tours to the Space Centre and other attractions for all team members and their teacher leader)
“European Youth Space Ambassador” diploma.
One high quality computerized telescope for each pupil member of the finalist teams – winners of the regional semi-finals.
Trip to the location of the International Final, (traveling expenses, hotel accommodation, meals, insurance, visits and participation to events for all team members and their teacher leader).
Trip to the location of the regional semi-finals (traveling expenses, hotel accommodation, meals, insurance, visits and participation to events for all team members and their teacher leader).
Winners’ medallion.
All contestants will receive a certificate of participation in the Odysseus II Contest.
A cash equivalent cannot be substituted for the prizes.
Submitted projects will first be evaluated on a national level. This will be done online after the closing of submissions, in April 2017. If projects are selected to move on to the regional level, the contestants will be invited to take part in the semi-finals with all the other national winners in their region. In the semi-finals the national winners will present their project to a panel of judges. The regional semi-finals will take place between 30 April and 30 June 2017. The winners of the regional finals will then meet in Brussels or Toulouse for the international final in order to present their projects to a panel of international judges. This final will take place in July 2017.
Projects will be awarded points on the basis of the following criteria:
An entry to the contest demonstrates academic excellence when it provides well-documented arguments, using scientific methods that are credible and verifiable, includes citations, makes critical use of scientific and learning resources and showcases that the participants have acquired knowledge of the relevant contexts of the subject and have a depth of understanding of basic concepts and issues relevant to their project.
With this criterion it will be assessed the extent to which the proposed project is relevant to the thematic category selected and to the topic’s scope. Relevant theory and literature to the stated theme should be used adequately.
This criterion will assess the contestants’ thinking processes to approach the topic of their entry, in terms of describing the problem, determining the data and information need to be found, planning and carrying out the solution or using alternative solutions and evaluating the selected solutions.
Key criterion for assessing entry’s originality is that the project is the product of team’s work and ideas and that it is unique, or novel, or unconventional. Even if the entry will be based on someone else’s work would still count as original if the team conceives a new idea, makes an original presentation of the problem, adopts a new approach or method or is implemented in an innovative way.
It will be assessed how and the degree to which the entry proposes solutions and ideas that have long-term direct or indirect social benefits and / or the degree to which it relates to a current challenge of our societies (e.g. climate change, tightening supplies of energy, water and food)
With this criterion will be assessed the structure and format of the overall project and if its objectives, methodology and outcomes are clearly presented. It will also assess the logical organisation and linking of ideas, the clarity of expression and the use of appropriate supporting materials and technology (photos, drawings, slides, audio, video etc.)
An entry demonstrates technical merit when it delineates a clear conceptual framework or theory that anchors the background literature and informs the design and key variables of the project. The evaluators will also assess practical skills, including observation, precision, communication, ability to record and tabulate results, use of technological tools or pure practical skills such as building, soldering, woodwork.
This criterion will assess how environmental issues were integrated into the entry, through, for example, the exploration and discussion of project’s sustainability or through the use of eco-friendly materials or methods for the implementation or the presentation of the project.
Furthermore, a number of special citations to non-winning projects will be given out by the judges at each stage, which among others could be: most eye-catching graphic, most original problem, most professional presentation, most artistic submission, best use of music in a science project or most environmentally aware project.
Each team of contestants will be provided with a summary of the judges’ evaluation of their project at the time of judging.
Odysseus II is a European project, funded by the European Commission. Its main objective is the organization of a pan-European contest for pupils and students between the age of seven (7) and twenty-two (22) years on Space exploration and Space science. Although a pan-European contest pupils and students from non-EU countries could also participate.
You can REGISTER by submitting your email and your selected password in the relevant section of the Odysseus II contest website and by selecting the category Pioneers and accepting the rules of the contest. Then you should verify your account by clicking the link included in the email that you will automatically receive. Then you should LOGIN to your account and fill in the details of your team in the registration form. Each team should consist of two (2) or three (3) members with a teacher as leader. Note: each team should have a teacher-leader to support with registration (see the Rules section).
Participants should be from fourteen (14) to nineteen (19) years old (secondary school pupils, born on or between 1st April 1997 and 31st March 2003).
Yes your parent or legal guardian should sign and provide to the team´s teacher-leader a permission form allowing you to participate in the Odysseus II contest and agreeing on the rules of the contest. In order to be eligible to participate your team should register before the 31st March 2017.
You can use the Odysseus II Contest blog to connect with other potential participants or include your needs for team members or for specific skills.
Yes, team members may come from the same or different schools of the same country.
Yes; the teacher-leader can add participants until the 31st March 2017, while not exceeding the maximum of 3 members per team.
No; each pupil can compete only in one team.
You could submit your entry in any of the following languages: Bulgarian, Czech, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish and Swedish. Teams from countries outside the European Union should submit their projects in any of the above official EU languages.
If the entry makes it to the International final of the contest, the team must provide a full translation into English, if the entry was originally submitted in another language.
You are free to select your own topic related to one of the themes of the contest. You can make your own choice about the form and design of your entry (text, power point presentation, video, prototype, multimedia, experiment etc.), but you are advised to include a Project Worksheet in the template provided, describing the background thinking of your project. You are free to submit as many supporting files as deemed necessary. To view some links to relevant sources about space exploration take a look at the Odysseus Library.
You should upload your entry alongside its summary (in the form provided) by clicking the Submit your Entry link, and following the instructions.
No. Each team may submit only one entry to the Odysseus II contest.
There is a Forgot Your Password link on the Log in page. Click on that and a new password will be sent to your registered e-mail address for Odysseus account.
You need to submit your entry from 1st September 2016 until 23:59:59 CET of 31st March 2017. The Odysseus II organizers recommend that you submit your entry upon completion without waiting until the deadline date.
Yes; you should follow the instructions provided in the Submit your Entry link. If you have any questions or if you need help with uploading an entry, please fill in the contact form and the organizers will help you by securing that the entry will be uploaded appropriately.
All teams will receive a summary of the judges’ evaluation of their project after the completion of the assessment process.
For full details on evaluation criteria, please refer to the Assessment and Evaluation Criteria section of the Pioneers page.
The number of teams going onto the next level of judging will be determined by the relative populations of the participating countries and the number of submissions from each region and in each theme category. Each EU country will be represented in the regional finals by at least one team. Teams may be invited to the regional events on the condition that their entry is marked with at least 10 out of 20 in the first phase. The Odysseus II organizers will announce how many teams are to be found in the semi-finals, via the official website. The top teams of the Regional Finals will participate in the International Final.
Yes all entries could be viewed on the Odysseus II website at the Gallery page after the deadline for submitting an entry.
The teams who will qualify to the regional events will be announced after the 20th of April 2017.
The winning team in each regional semi-final will be announced at the end of the event after the completion of the judges’ consultations. The finalists will also be announced on the Odysseus II Contest website.
For complete details on the prizes, please visit the Prizes page .
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