Competition
Conrad Challenge
The Conrad Foundation
Recognition
Winning teams receive academic scholarships, an all-expenses-paid trip (presented by Equinor with United Airlines), free patent support from IP lawyers, and honors including Pete Conrad Scholar, Power Pitch Award, Citizenship Award, and Excellence in Education Award; exact scholarship dollar amounts are not published.
Deadline
~Jan 8, 2026
Estimated; confirm on sponsor site
The Conrad (Spirit of Innovation) Challenge, run by the Conrad Foundation (est. 2008 in honor of astronaut Pete Conrad), brings together a community of student innovators and entrepreneurs to develop viable solutions to global challenges.
Eligibility
- Grade levels
- Middle school, High school
- Citizenship
- Any
- Fields of study
- Science, Engineering, Technology, Environmental science, Health medicine, Computer science
Application requirements
- Register a team of 2-5 students (ages 13-18) with an adult team coach (18+) via the Award Force portal
- Complete the Activation Stage: form your team and define your innovation concept
- Complete the Innovation Stage: develop and submit your solution materials, paying the $499 team registration fee
- Advance as a finalist based on Innovation Stage judging
- Attend the Innovation Summit in Houston, TX to pitch and compete for prizes: Summit registration is $499/guest; financial aid available.
Not yet verified Details come from the sponsor listing; confirm on sponsor site before applying.