10/13/2026
ATTENTION ALL 5th GRADERS:
Purdue Extension is sponsoring the Purdue 1 Indiana Fifth-Grade Essay Competition with the College of Engineering and Office of Engagement. One winner from each Indiana county will be selected and receive a personalized Purdue 1 Indiana patch bearing the student’s name.
Judges selected by Purdue Extension 4-H Youth Development will evaluate essays on writing quality, creativity, critical thinking and connection to the competition theme.
Here is the essay question students are asked to write about.
Spaceflights require a large team of people with a variety of skills in order to be successful. From designing the flight suits to packing food, everyone works together for a successful mission. Think about a subject you love in school or a hobby you enjoy doing in your free time (like art, writing, math, building things or sports). If you were joining the team for a future space mission, how could you use that specific interest, hobby or skill to help the crew succeed? What job would you create for yourself on the team?
Entries are being accepted until November 30, 2026. They may be submitted through students’ schools or by a parent or guardian.
For all the information you need about the competition, please visit this web sitehttps://engineering.purdue.edu/purdue1/essay-competition.
Purdue 1 is a future space mission that will send a Purdue professor, a graduate student and alumni on a suborbital space flight to conduct research experiments and inspire learning, discovery and exploration. As Purdue prepares for the Purdue 1 space mission, Indiana fifth graders are invited to im...
