The NASA TechRise Student Challenge 2026 is open to eligible U.S. students in grades 6–12. Sixty winning teams receive $1,500, a flight-box starter kit, technical mentoring and a spot to test their experiment on a NASA-sponsored high-altitude balloon flight.
Students across the United States have an opportunity to design a science or technology experiment for a NASA-sponsored high-altitude balloon flight through the 2026–2027 NASA TechRise Student Challenge.
The challenge is open to students in grades 6 through 12 attending eligible U.S. public, private or charter schools, including schools in U.S. territories. Teams must develop an experiment proposal designed for a high-altitude balloon capable of spending approximately four to eight hours at altitudes of 70,000 to 95,000 feet.
A total of 60 winning teams will be selected. Each winning team receives $1,500 to build its experiment, a starter kit containing a flight box, an assigned spot on a NASA-sponsored flight, and virtual mentoring and technical support during the experiment-building phase. No previous experience is necessary to participate.
Entries are due November 2, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, giving eligible schools and students time to form teams and develop their proposals.
NASA TechRise Student Challenge 2026 at a Glance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Program | NASA TechRise Student Challenge |
| Challenge | Design an experiment for a high-altitude balloon |
| Eligible grades | Grades 6–12 |
| Location | U.S. states and territories |
| Eligible schools | Public, private and charter schools |
| Minimum team size | 4 students |
| Maximum team size | No maximum |
| Team lead | Teacher or school employee |
| Previous experience | Not required |
| Winning teams | 60 |
| Funding per winning team | $1,500 |
| Starter kit | Yes |
| NASA-sponsored flight | Yes |
| Virtual mentoring | Yes |
| Technical support | Yes |
| Contest opened | September 3, 2026 |
| Application deadline | November 2, 2026 |
| Deadline time | 11:59 p.m. PT |
| Winners announced | January 19, 2027 |
| Experiment showcase | May 18, 2027 |
| Experiments due | May 19, 2027 |
| Flight | Summer 2027 |
What Is the NASA TechRise Student Challenge?
The NASA TechRise Student Challenge is a hands-on STEM competition giving middle and high school students an opportunity to develop an experiment that could eventually fly on a NASA-sponsored flight.
For the current challenge, students are being asked to:
design an experiment to test on a high-altitude balloon.
The program is designed to help students build skills relevant to America’s technical workforce, including:
- Engineering
- Computing
- Electronics
- Scientific experimentation
- Technology development
The challenge goes beyond simply submitting an idea.
Winning teams move into a development phase where they receive funding, equipment, technical support and an opportunity to turn their proposal into a working experiment.
Who Can Enter the NASA TechRise Challenge?
The 2026 challenge is designed for eligible schools in:
U.S. states and territories.
Participating students must be in:
grades 6 through 12.
Eligible institutions include:
- U.S. public schools
- U.S. private schools
- U.S. charter schools
Students can participate through school classes, clubs or teams.
How Many Students Are Required Per Team?
Each team must have at least:
four students.
There is no maximum number of students per team.
Students may all come from the same grade or from different grades.
However, all members must attend the same eligible U.S. public, private or charter school.
Does Each Team Need a Teacher?
Yes.
Every team must have a team lead who is:
a teacher or school employee.
The teacher or school employee is responsible for registering and ultimately submitting the team’s proposal.
Students develop the experiment idea and complete the proposal materials, but the official submission must be handled by the team lead.
Can Homeschool Students Participate?
Homeschools are not generally eligible as independent participants.
However, the challenge guidelines state that homeschools may participate when they are affiliated with a qualifying:
- Public school
- Private school
- Charter school
that complies with the insurance requirements contained in the official rules.
Families in this situation should carefully review the official rules before preparing a proposal.
Is Previous STEM Experience Required?
No.
The challenge specifically states:
“no experience is necessary to participate.”
Students therefore do not need to have previously built a balloon experiment, programmed a microcontroller or completed an engineering competition.
NASA TechRise provides educational resources to help teams understand the challenge and develop their ideas.
What Do Students Have to Design?
Teams must propose a science or technology experiment designed to operate on a:
high-altitude balloon.
The balloon is expected to provide approximately:
4–8 hours of flight time
at:
70,000–95,000 feet.
At these altitudes, experiments can experience conditions involving Earth’s upper atmosphere, radiation and distinctive views of the planet.
Do Students Have to Build the Experiment Before Applying?
No.
This is another important feature of the competition.
During the application stage, teams need to design and propose their experiment.
Future Engineers specifically states that students:
do not need to build their idea unless their team is selected as a winner.
Students also do not need previous experience using the components they may propose for their experiment.
This reduces the initial financial and technical barriers to entering the challenge.
What Can Students Use in Their Experiment?
The challenge encourages teams to think about the components that could bring their idea to life.
Examples mentioned include:
- Motors
- Sensors
- Microcontrollers
The experiment must ultimately comply with the official high-altitude balloon design guidelines.
NASA TechRise Prize Package
The competition will select:
60 winning teams.
Each winning team receives several forms of support.
$1,500 Experiment Funding
Each winning team receives:
$1,500 to build its experiment.
The funding is specifically connected to developing the team’s proposed experiment.
Starter Kit
Winning teams receive a starter kit containing:
a flight box
in which the experiment can be built.
NASA-Sponsored Flight
Each winning experiment receives an assigned spot on a:
NASA-sponsored high-altitude balloon flight.
Technical Mentoring
Winning teams receive virtual mentoring and technical assistance from Future Engineers advisors during the build phase.
The complete core package is described in the challenge information.
Is the $1,500 Award Given to Every Applicant?
No.
The $1,500 award is for the 60 winning teams.
Submitting an entry does not mean a team automatically receives funding.
Teams must first be selected as winners.
Is the $1,500 a Personal Cash Prize?
The challenge describes the money as:
$1,500 to build their experiment.
It should therefore not be advertised as a $1,500 personal cash prize for each student.
The funding supports development of the winning team’s experiment.
How to Enter the NASA TechRise Student Challenge
The official process can be broken into five main steps.
Step 1 — Form a Team and Register
Teams need:
- At least four students
- Students in grades 6–12
- Students attending the same eligible school
- One teacher or school employee as team lead
There is no maximum number of students per team.
The team lead should register so the team can receive information about the challenge.
Step 2 — Review the Official Materials
Teams should study the:
- Proposal Example and Template
- Educator Guide
- Challenge Rules
These resources explain the requirements students need to follow when developing and submitting their experiment proposal.
Step 3 — Learn About High-Altitude Balloons
Students are encouraged to learn about:
- High-altitude balloon flights
- Conditions in Earth’s atmosphere
- Data that can be collected at 70,000–95,000 feet
The educational material introduces applications ranging from climate research to technology testing under conditions with similarities to space environments.
Step 4 — Brainstorm and Design the Experiment
Teams then develop their experiment concept.
Future Engineers provides brainstorming materials and worksheets to help students explore possible ideas.
Students should consider:
- What question they want to investigate
- Their hypothesis
- What data the experiment should collect
- Which sensors or components may be required
- How the experiment connects with NASA’s mission
- Whether the design meets the flight guidelines
Students are not required to physically construct the experiment at this stage.
Step 5 — Submit the Proposal
Teams use the NASA TechRise Proposal Example and Template to write their experiment proposal.
Once the proposal is completed, the team’s:
teacher or school employee
must submit it through the Future Engineers dashboard.
The deadline is:
November 2, 2026.
Can a School Submit More Than One Proposal?
Yes.
Educators and schools can submit:
an unlimited number of proposals for an unlimited number of teams.
However, each proposal must be:
unique.
This means a school could potentially involve multiple classes, clubs or teams in the competition.
NASA TechRise Judging Criteria
Proposals are evaluated using several criteria.
The supplied challenge page identifies four judging areas:
| Judging Area | Points |
|---|---|
| Impact of experiment on team’s education | 40 |
| Connection of experiment to NASA’s mission | 20 |
| Alignment of experiment to team’s hypothesis | 20 |
| Design meets experiment guidelines | 20 |
Together, these criteria total 100 points.
40 Points — Educational Impact
The largest single component of the judging framework is:
impact of experiment on team’s education.
It carries:
40 points.
This means teams should think carefully about what they will learn from designing and potentially building their experiment.
20 Points — Connection to NASA’s Mission
Another:
20 points
are allocated to the connection between the experiment and NASA’s mission.
Teams should therefore explain why their scientific or technological question is relevant rather than simply proposing an experiment without context.
20 Points — Connection to the Hypothesis
The experiment should align with the team’s stated hypothesis.
This area is worth:
20 points.
Students should make sure their experiment design can meaningfully test the question they propose.
20 Points — Meeting Design Guidelines
The remaining:
20 points
are based on whether the experiment design meets the relevant design guidelines.
Teams should carefully review the official High-Altitude Balloon Design Guidelines before finalizing their proposal.
NASA TechRise 2026–2027 Timeline
The current challenge follows a multi-month schedule.
September 3, 2026 — Contest Opens
The official program timeline lists the contest opening in September 2026.
September 22, 2026 — Virtual Field Trip
Students and educators can participate in a NASA TechRise Virtual Field Trip on:
September 22, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. PT.
The event includes a live Q&A and information about high-altitude balloons and preparing a challenge proposal.
November 2, 2026 — Entries Close
All proposals must be submitted by:
November 2, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
January 19, 2027 — Winners Announced
The 60 winning teams are scheduled to be announced on:
January 19, 2027.
The experiment-building phase begins at the same time.
May 18, 2027 — Winner Showcase
The winner showcase is scheduled for:
May 18, 2027.
May 19, 2027 — Experiments Due
Winning teams must mail their experiments to Future Engineers no later than:
May 19, 2027.
Summer 2027 — Launch
The completed experiments are scheduled to launch aboard the flight test vehicle during:
Summer 2027.
What Happens After a Team Wins?
Winning is only the beginning of the practical part of the challenge.
After winners are announced on January 19, teams receive their welcome package and begin building their proposed experiments.
They meet regularly and virtually with the TechRise advisory team to develop or improve the skills necessary to complete their projects.
The process turns the initial proposal into an actual experiment that can be tested on a high-altitude balloon.
Virtual Mentoring and Technical Support
Winning teams are not expected to figure out the entire build process alone.
The prize package includes virtual mentoring and technical support from Future Engineers advisors.
During the build period, winning teams also have access to technical support and weekly team meetings with Future Engineers experts.
This makes the opportunity more than a conventional student competition.
It provides an extended hands-on STEM learning experience.
Why This Opportunity Matters for Students
NASA TechRise allows students to experience several stages of real-world science and engineering:
Question → Hypothesis → Design → Proposal → Selection → Build → Test
Students selected as winners move from an idea on paper to a physical experiment designed for a real flight environment.
The challenge can help participants practice:
- Teamwork
- Engineering design
- Scientific reasoning
- Computing
- Electronics
- Problem-solving
- Technical communication
- Project planning
The program itself specifically emphasizes building critical skills in engineering, computing, electronics and related areas required for America’s technical workforce.
Is NASA TechRise Free to Enter?
The supplied challenge page does not state an entry fee.
It provides teacher signup and proposal submission instructions but does not identify an application fee.
Therefore, no fee should be invented or attributed to the challenge without confirmation from the official rules.
Is NASA TechRise Open Internationally?
No.
The current challenge is specifically for schools in:
U.S. states and territories.
Students studying at schools outside the eligible U.S. locations should not be described as eligible based on this source.
Are College Students Eligible?
The challenge is for students in:
grades 6–12.
The supplied eligibility rules do not include university or college students.
Do Students Need to Be U.S. Citizens?
The supplied challenge page defines eligibility around eligible schools in U.S. states and territories and students attending those schools.
It does not state a universal U.S.-citizenship requirement in the provided material.
Applicants should follow the official challenge rules for any additional requirements.
Do Students Apply Individually?
No.
Students participate as part of a school team.
The minimum team size is four students, and the official proposal must be submitted by a teacher or school employee.
Does Every Student Receive $1,500?
No.
The $1,500 is awarded to each winning team to develop its experiment, not individually to every student.
This distinction is important when describing the prize.
Do All 60 Teams Get a NASA Flight?
Yes.
The prize information says the 60 winning schools receive $1,500 to build their experiment and a spot for their experiment on a NASA-sponsored flight.
Application Mistakes to Avoid
Waiting Until the Deadline to Form a Team
Teams need at least four eligible students and a teacher or school employee to lead the submission.
Building the Experiment Before Selection
Students do not need to build the experiment before submitting their proposal.
Ignoring the Design Guidelines
Design compliance accounts for part of the judging score.
Submitting Without a Clear Hypothesis
Twenty points are attached to alignment between the experiment and the team’s hypothesis.
Forgetting the Educational Impact
Educational impact carries 40 points, making it the largest component of the judging framework.
Having Students Submit Directly
The teacher or school employee serving as team lead must submit the proposal.
Submitting Identical Proposals for Multiple Teams
Schools can enter unlimited teams, but every proposal must be unique.
Missing the Time Zone
The deadline is November 2, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NASA TechRise Student Challenge?
It is a STEM challenge where eligible U.S. students in grades 6–12 develop a science or technology experiment proposal for a high-altitude balloon.
What is the 2026 NASA TechRise challenge?
Students must design an experiment to test on a high-altitude balloon.
When is the application deadline?
November 2, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Who can participate?
Students in grades 6–12 at eligible U.S. public, private or charter schools in U.S. states and territories.
How many students are needed?
At least four students per team.
Is there a maximum team size?
No maximum team size is stated.
Does the team need a teacher?
Yes. A teacher or school employee must serve as team lead.
Is previous experience required?
No. The challenge explicitly says no previous experience is necessary.
How many winners will be selected?
60 winning teams.
What do winners receive?
Each winning team receives $1,500 to develop its experiment, a starter kit with a flight box, a spot on a NASA-sponsored flight, and technical mentoring/support.
Is the $1,500 per student?
No. It is provided to the winning team to build its experiment.
When will winners be announced?
January 19, 2027.
When will the experiments launch?
Summer 2027.
Can international schools apply?
The current challenge is for eligible schools in U.S. states and territories.
Can homeschool students enter?
Only under the conditions described for affiliation with an eligible school that meets the applicable insurance requirements.
Do students have to build an experiment before applying?
No. Teams only build their experiment if selected as winners.
Can a school enter several teams?
Yes. Schools and educators can submit unlimited proposals for unlimited teams, but each proposal must be unique.
Final Thoughts
The NASA TechRise Student Challenge 2026 provides eligible U.S. middle and high school students with an unusual opportunity to move beyond classroom STEM learning and design an experiment with the potential to fly on a NASA-sponsored high-altitude balloon.
Students in grades 6–12 can form teams of at least four students at the same eligible U.S. public, private or charter school. A teacher or school employee must serve as team lead.
No previous experience is required, and teams do not have to build their experiments during the initial application stage.
Instead, students develop and submit their experiment proposal by November 2, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
From the entries, 60 winning teams will receive $1,500 each to build their experiments, starter kits with flight boxes, virtual technical support and an assigned spot on a NASA-sponsored high-altitude balloon flight.
Winners are scheduled to be announced on January 19, 2027, with the build period continuing into May and experiment launches planned for summer 2027.
For eligible students interested in science, engineering, computing, electronics or space technology, NASA TechRise offers an opportunity not merely to compete for a prize, but to turn an original STEM idea into an experiment designed for a real flight environment.
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