Terms, conditions and registration
[UPDATE 27 March: Proposals now closed] The European Space Agency (ESA) is hosting the ‘VMC Imaging Campaign’ to enable schools, clubs and other youth groups to make use of observation opportunities using the VMC camera on board Mars Express. The campaign runs from 6 March to 31 July 2015.
Proposals must be submitted by 12:00 CET, 27 March 2015.
Up to eight proposals will be selected from all valid submissions received, and these will be announced on 30 March. Imaging will take place 25–27 May, and the image sets will be delivered on or around 28 May 2015.
General
Schools, clubs and other youth organisations as defined below under ‘Eligible Participants’ are invited to submit their proposed imaging targets together with a brief note as to why this is interesting and a description of the intended project that will fully exploit the images.
Participants agree to use the images in a scientific or artistic project that makes full, imaginative use of the visual information they contain. The projects must be shared with ESA, and must be submitted within the end of the current academic year or 31 July, whichever comes first.
Proposals with strong educational value, a good online component and representing a cohesive team effort will have the best chances of being accepted.
Online registration: Deadline 12:00 CET, 27 March (scroll down for webform)
Submissions
Participants are invited to be creative and imaginative, and are welcome to include material from any ESA website/online content or another material, with permission of the owners, related to their project.
Participants should make no more than one (1) submission per school, group or organisation.
Project format, length and content
The project must make use of the requested VMC images in some imaginative and educational way. Otherwise, there are no restrictions or limitations on the scope, length or format. A full description/report of the project must be shared with ESA and be publishable online.
The VMC Imaging Campaign will be conducted in English, and proposals must be submitted in English. However, final projects may be submitted in any ESA Member State language (see list below).
ESA reserves the right to edit, amend, publish or not publish any submitted project.
Ownership, original works and permissions
By taking part, participants certify that their project is their group's original work, that they have full legal right to use any portion that is not their original work, that they have permission from anyone identifiably shown in any related images/videos to share/publish those images/videos and that they consent to ESA publishing the submitted project, including images/videos, participants' names, the group's home town and the group's affiliated organisation name (e.g. the school name) via web, social media or any other channel with credit and at no profit.
Any group leader may request that any group member's name be withheld from publication, particularly if the group includes school children or other under-age members.
Eligible Groups
The VMC Imaging Campaign is open only to groups (no individual submissions accepted) comprising at least two people and one team leader. Typically, this will be one teacher and at least two students. The group leader must be an adult and have full permission from his/her organisation to take part in the campaign.
Participant groups may comprise schools, a school club, a community club, an art club, a science or astronomy club, a science or space centre or museum, an art museum or any other group whose primary focus is science and art education aimed at youth.
Participating groups must be based in an ESA Member State or an ESA Cooperating State (see list below), an EU Member State, the United States of America, Argentina or Australia.
Personal information
Group leaders (the adult) agree to provide ESA their first name, family name, phone number, email address, town/city, country and, optionally, one or more social media names. Leaders agree that ESA and its partner agencies may publish their names, town/cities and social media names.
Indemnification
Participants agree that the European Space Agency is in no way liable for any claim for damages arising from any activity in connection with this campaign.
Participants understand that the VMC Imaging Campaign is being conducted on a 'best-effort' basis and may be modified, delayed or cancelled by ESA at any time, particularly for any operational reasons related to Mars Express.
Contact
Via social media: tweet questions using the #vmcschools hashtag
Campaign organisers
ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany
Corporate Communication Office
esoc.communication@esa.int
Tel: +49 6151 90 0
ESA Member and Cooperating States, EU Member States
ESA Member States
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Canada takes part in some projects under a Cooperation agreement.
ESA Cooperating States
Slovakia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia and Latvia.
EU Member States
REGISTRATION
Registrations are now closed
