- News

The European Commission is holding a drawing competition for children aged 9 - 11 years old (children born in 2000, 2001 and 2002) in EU member states. The competition will run from 1 September to 15 November 2011, and the winner will have a real Galileo Programme Satellite named after them.

To take part, each child must submit a piece of artwork based on the theme 'Space and Aeronautics'. This might be a picture of the Earth together with other planets and satellites or the launch of the Galileo satellite rockets. Children are invited to give free rein to their imagination and use any drawing, painting and colouring material and techniques they wish to. Pictures must then be scanned or photographed and uploaded to the competition website.

The winners will be selected by national jury panels made up of astronauts and other well known figures. The winner will be announced in January 2012 and will be invited to an Award Ceremony where they will be presented with a certificate and a trophy, to keep, that represents the satellite that will be named after them.

The Galileo Programme

The Galileo Programme is developing Europe’s independent satellite navigation system. It will allow Europe to remain at the forefront of space-related technologies and ensure European access to satellite navigation independently from the American GPS system. The new system will serve many applications including transportation management and mobile phone applications. For further details regarding The Galileo Programme please visit http://ec.europa.eu/galileo.

A flyer promoting the competition, which could be displayed around your school, is available to download below.