Reported by Crumpler Tasha, Australian Space Agency

During the school holidays, the Australian Space Agency (The Agency) took advantage of the increased foot traffic at the Australian Space Discovery Centre and held three in-person activity workshops. To further promote the competition, the Agency utilised a comprehensive marketing strategy that included social media campaigns, eye-catching flyers, website updates and spotlights in our various newsletters. This multifaceted approach significantly enhanced our outreach resulting in national engagement and participation.

The Agency accepted entries through multiple channels to ensure inclusivity. Participants could submit their posters electronically, via postal service, or in person. This flexibility allowed for a diverse range of entries. This national competition fostered artistic expression while encouraging children to envision the future of space travel, resulting in a collection of engaging and imaginative submissions.

The feedback and outcomes from this competition will help shape future activities and Australia’s future involvement with the APRSAF poster competition. Overall, the poster competition was a resounding success. Each entry showed that the children were actively engaged and took their time in producing a vision for what ‘Space Travel.’ This has helped promote interest in space among the next generation of the workforce.

Reported by Sakina Aghalarova, the Space Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan

On behalf of the Space Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, I am pleased to inform you about a recent event we organized on September 30, 2024. This briefing was held for school principals and attended by senior officials from various government agencies. Mr. Samaddin Asadov, Chairman of the Board of the Space Agency, opened the event with a welcome speech. During the briefing, we introduced several educational and scientific projects, including the APRSAF-30 Poster Contest, to 50 school principals.

We are excited to announce that the national selection for the APRSAF-30 Poster Contest was completed on October 9, and we have identified the top three winners. A total of 25 schoolchildren from extracurricular education institutions submitted creative and high-quality posters. The National Committee jury evaluated these entries based on the competition criteria and selected the top three, which were announced during the event and displayed at the Space Agency. The schoolchildren also delivered brief speeches about their posters, communicated the messages they aimed to convey, and answered questions posed by the jury.

Reported by Xiao Liu, Shanghai Society of Astronautics

As the POC of APRSAF SE4AWG Poster Contest, Shanghai Society of Astronautics (SSA) collected 71 posters this year. On September 11, more than 30 schoolteachers were invited to vote on these posters.

SSA has developed more than 50 Astronautic Characteristic Schools in Shanghai and the surrounding areas, and Poster Contest of APRSAF has been well received by these schools.

In the future, SSA will strive to promote this activity nationwide and expand its influence in China.

Reported by Sri Wahyu Cahya Ningsih, Indonesia Science Center

Indonesia Science Center conducted a Space Poster Contest for students ages 6-12 years old to select posters representing Indonesia in the APRSAF-30 Poster Contest. The competition was held on September 28th, 2024, in Jakarta, and was participated by 233 students from 147 elementary schools in Indonesia.

The goal is to develop the younger generation’s curiosity and enthusiasm through space activities, as well as to enhance their skills, creativity, and imagination about the universe.

With the theme of Space Travel, the students took part in the competition with great enthusiasm. Space travel is a very amazing and challenging adventure. Students can imagine they leave the Earth and explore the vast and mysterious universe. Who knows, at one end of the universe we will find our next home.

Reported by Mohammad Sohrabi, Imam Reza Research Center

Moments during the review captured the intense focus of the judges.

Reported by Norihisa Kowase, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

In Japan, September 12th is designated as “Space Day” to commemorate the International Space Year of 1992. This date marks the day astronaut Dr. Mamoru Mohri became the first Japanese astronaut to go space on the Space Shuttle. JAXA holds an annual essay and painting contest for elementary and junior high school students nationwide to spark interest in space exploration. The 32nd contest will be held in 2024. In the “Painting Division,” three works from the elementary school division will receive the “Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum Japan Representative Award”.

Reported by Tze Kian Jong, National Planetarium

In Malaysia, the poster contest is part of the National Space Challenge (NSC) program, organized by the National Planetarium under the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI). Established in 1997, this year marks its 26th edition. The program engages primary school students (Years 4 to 6) through a "Hands-On, Minds-On, Hearts- On Learning" approach to foster interest in astronomy and space science.

To broaden participation in the poster contest, we use the following strategies:

a) The contest is open to both primary and secondary school students, divided into respective categories.
b) We collaborate with the Ministry of Education to provide merit recognition for participating students.
c) Certificates and prizes are awarded to the top 5 posters in each category.
d) The top 3 posters from the primary category are submitted to the APRSAF-30 poster contest.
e) We promote the contest online via social media platforms like Facebook and the official website.
f) Artworks, along with a synopsis, are submitted via online platforms.
g) Professional designers and art teachers are invited to judge the poster submissions.

This year, we received a total of 146 entries, with 112 from primary students and 34 from secondary students.

Promotion of poster contest since 27 August 2024 via National Planetarium Facebook.

Reported by Benjawan Treepattanasuwan, Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency

Thai Youths Showcase Space-Themed Creativity

Congratulations to the young Thai participants of the APRSAF-30 Poster Contest 2024! On August 24, 2024, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) through GISTDA and the National Science Museum (NSM), in collaboration with Bangkok Metro Networks (BMN), organized the final round of the APRSAF-30 Poster Contest 2024 at MRT Phahon Yothin, Bangkok. Dr. Sirilak Pruetpitikul, Deputy Director of GISTDA, judged the artworks and encouraged the participants, with over 40 artworks showcased.

The APRSAF-30 Poster Contest promotes youth potential and fosters creativity in space-themed artwork. The contest, open to Thai children aged 6-12, aims to inspire imaginative thinking about space exploration in the Asia -Pacific region. Organized under the theme “Space Travel,” the contest aligns with the APRSAF Space Education for All Working Group’s initiatives. This year, 117 entries were submitted, with 40 artworks selected for the final round at MRT Phahon Yothin. The top three will represent Thailand in the international competition in Australia this November.