NASA announced competition with total prize fund of $750,000

The competition invites participants to create a complete meal plan for a crew on Mars, as well as to present a concept for an integrated food production and supply system capable of fully meeting astronauts’ dietary and nutritional needs without reliance on resupply from Earth. The total prize purse amounts to $750,000, and the challenge is scheduled to officially conclude in September 2026.

Registration is open until July 31, 2026. Teams from any country are eligible to apply. Participants will have approximately seven months to develop a food system project designed for long-term operation in a Mars surface habitat.

Under the competition requirements, proposed solutions must support up to 15-crew members, including a dedicated food systems engineer and a nutrition or meal preparation specialist, ensure autonomous operation for up to five years, and limit the use of Earth provisioned foods to no more than 50 percent. Particular emphasis is placed on integration with life-support systems to enable closed loop or near closed loop resource utilization.

Teams are required to submit a detailed, data-supported meal plan, an operational concept for the system, visual layouts, as well as a walkthrough video and a recorded presentation for expert evaluation.

Cash prizes are available only for United States teams. One overall winner may receive up to 300,000 dollars, while second and third place teams may be awarded up to 200,000 and 100,000 dollars respectively. Additional categorical awards of 50,000 dollars each are may be granted for achievements in crew experience, resource efficiency, and terrestrial applications.

International teams may be recognized as winners or finalists, but are not eligible for monetary awards.

Earlier, it was reported that NASA, together with the United States Department of Energy, plans to deploy a nuclear power reactor on the surface of the Moon by 2030.