NASA Space Apps Challenge 2026 begins across nine cities in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh edition of the NASA International Space Apps Challenge 2026 began on Friday, drawing 4,657 registered participants across nine cities. The two-day hackathon, which runs until 14 November, involves more than 600 teams working to address complex challenges related to space and Earth science.

The competition is taking place simultaneously in Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Khulna, Cumilla, Mymensingh, and Barishal. American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) serves as the title sponsor for the event, which is coordinated by local leads in each participating city.

Participants are working under this year's theme, 'The Next Frontier'. They are utilising publicly available data and resources from NASA and its partner space agencies to create technological solutions and project prototypes. The scope of the competition is broad, covering fields such as space science, Earth observation, climate change, environmental conservation, artificial intelligence, and data analysis.

During the event, teams are tasked with researching specific problems, developing innovative ideas, and constructing functional prototypes. Following the conclusion of the local events, judges in each city will evaluate the submitted projects. Selected entries that meet the required criteria will then advance to the global judging stage, where experts from NASA and its partner space agencies will assess projects from participating countries to select the global winners.

Bangladeshi teams have established a strong track record in the competition, having secured four global awards in previous editions. This includes a notable streak of three consecutive global wins between 2021 and 2023.

The history of Bangladeshi success in the challenge began in 2018, when Team Olik from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology won the 'Best Use of Data' award for its 'Lunar VR' project after competing in the Sylhet event. In 2021, Team Mohakash from Khulna secured the 'Best Mission Concept' award for its 'Advanced Regolith Sampler System' project.

The success continued in 2022, when Team Diamonds from Cumilla won the 'Most Inspiring' category for 'Diamond in the Sky', an interactive game designed to help children identify stars. In 2023, Team Voyagers from Rajshahi received the 'Best Storytelling' award for an interactive web game based on the water cycle. Most recently, in the 2024 edition, Team Ecorangers from Mymensingh reached the global final, securing a place among the top 40 finalist teams worldwide.