The Aurelia Prize returns with a $100,000 grand prize and a new challenge to create imaginative and technically rigorous visions for lunar settlements
How might we design lunar settlements that expand humanity’s access to space: homes, labs, and factories on the Moon that benefit life across the Earth-moon system?
Entering its second year as a global design competition, the Aurelia Prize invites designers, architects, and engineers from around the world to answer this question with imaginative and technically rigorous visions for lunar settlements that center utility, comfort, exploration, scientific excellence, and human dignity above all.
Submissions are open through January 15, 2027 for architectural concepts of any form — surface bases, orbital stations, live-in rover fleets, energy infrastructure, mining outposts, civic spaces, or something no one has proposed yet — that advance a bold, yet feasible, vision of sustained human presence on the moon.
“We launched the Aurelia Prize last year in honor of the 1975 NASA Summer Study, with the idea of continuing that tradition of far-reaching design concepts that thoughtfully address the practical needs and complex challenges of becoming a spacefaring society,” says Ariel Ekblaw, founder and CEO of Aurelia Institute.
“Our jury was profoundly impressed with the response, and with the depth and rigor of the submissions in our first prize cycle. I’m very excited to see what unique new designs and concepts we spark this year. Though famously a ‘Harsh Mistress’ as Robert Heinlein once wrote, the moon is incredibly fertile ground for innovation in architecture, design, manufacturing, and engineering — and there’s never been a better time to think pragmatically about what we want to build on the moon, and how.”
What we're looking for
Submissions to the Prize must include the following:
One primary, “hero” image of an architectural concept, and up to six additional images. These can be drawings, photographs, diagrams, collages, or renders; they can also be laid-out “boards” with minimal captions.
A text description of the project, no longer than 500 words, explaining what it is, who and what it is for, how it is envisioned to work, and what it contributes to the future of lunar urbanism. A one-page addendum must include citations that acknowledge the field of prior work.
Visit the Aurelia Prize page for complete criteria and submission details, as well as details on eligibility, entry fee, and deadlines.
The prize
The winning entry of the 2027 Aurelia Prize will receive a cash award of up to USD 100,000, shared across team members.
The winner(s) and finalists will be invited to Aurelia Institute’s Beyond the Cradle conference at MIT in April 2027, and may also be invited to participate in workshops, panels, and events within Aurelia Institute’s network. The winner(s) may also be invited to join a future parabolic research flight with the Aurelia team.
Meet the judges
We're honored to have an extraordinary panel reviewing submissions:
Norman Foster - renowned architect and urbanist, President of the Norman Foster Foundation, Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster + Partners
Victor Glover - NASA astronaut emeritus, pilot of the Artemis II mission to the moon
Paola Antonelli - Senior Curator of Architecture and Design and Director of Research and Development at MoMA
Adrian Tchaikovsky - Award-winning science fiction author
Gui Trotti - President of Trotti & Associates, Inc., internationally recognized architect and industrial designer
Dr. Ariel Ekblaw - Founder and CEO, Aurelia Institute; Co-founder, Rendezvous Robotics; Founding Director, MIT Space Exploration Initiative
Learn more and submit
Visit the Aurelia Prize page to find additional submission details, an FAQ, and more.
Submit your design here.
Do you have a question that’s not addressed in the FAQ? Contact us here.