Aurelia Prize Seeks Lunar Settlement Designs
Aurelia Institute's second annual design competition offers up to USD 100,000 for concepts covering lunar bases, stations, and infrastructure.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Space
Aurelia Institute announced the 2027 Aurelia Prize in Design for Space Urbanism, a global design competition in its second year. Designers, architects, and engineers are invited to submit concepts for lunar settlements, with submissions open through January 15, 2027.
Why it matters
The competition invites design and engineering work aimed at how humans might live and operate on the Moon. It draws on the legacy of the 1975 NASA Summer Study, which the prize was launched last year to honor.
The grand prize is up to USD 100,000, with submissions due January 15, 2027. The extraction does not specify how many finalists will be selected or the total number of entries received so far.
The players
Aurelia Institute
Aurelia Institute is the organization behind the Aurelia Prize and the Beyond the Cradle conference, focused on space design and urbanism.
Ariel Ekblaw
Ariel Ekblaw is the founder and CEO of Aurelia Institute and a leading figure in space architecture research.
The details
Designers, architects, and engineers from around the world can submit designs for lunar surface bases, orbital stations, rover fleets, energy infrastructure, and mining outposts. Winners and finalists will be invited to Aurelia Institute's Beyond the Cradle conference at MIT in 2027, and winners may be invited to join a future parabolic research flight with the Aurelia team.
Timeline
November 2, 2026: Prize announced via PRNewswire from Cambridge, Mass.
January 15, 2027: Submission deadline for prize entries.
2027: Beyond the Cradle conference at MIT for winners and finalists.
Big Picture
The Aurelia Prize was launched in honor of the 1975 NASA Summer Study, which helped shape early thinking about human habitation beyond Earth. The competition carries that tradition forward by asking today's designers to envision permanent lunar settlements.
Designers, architects, and engineers anywhere in the world can enter, with the grand prize reaching up to USD 100,000. The competition offers a path to present ideas at a leading academic conference and possibly join a parabolic research flight.
The takeaway
Lunar settlement planning now draws on open international design work, not only agency engineering. Anyone with architecture, engineering, or design skills can contribute ideas before the January 15, 2027 deadline.
What happens next
Submissions close January 15, 2027, and winners and finalists will be invited to the Beyond the Cradle conference at MIT later in 2027.
Further reading
For more on how humans may build beyond Earth, explore our Space coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Asianewstoday.
