All art on these pages is copyrighted by the individual artists and may not be used without the artist’s specific permission.
The primary purpose of the Roadmap to Space Art Contest is to inspire the next generation of spacefaring citizens to envision their future living, working, and playing in space. Another purpose is to encourage the creation of space art that can be used by the SmallSat Education Conference, SpacEdge Education, and NSS for the limited use of promoting its non-profit objective of creating a spacefaring civilization. For the Fall 2025 Roadmap to Space Student Art Contest there was no Grand Prize winner and First Prizes were only awarded for University and High School levels. Honorable Mentions are included with the winners below.
1st Prize University
Floating in Lunar Leisure: A Vacation Like No Other
Title: Floating in Lunar Leisure: A Vacation Like No Other
Artist: Nithihas Sowda
School: Sri Chaitanya PU College, India
Grade: University, age 20
Medium/Tools Used: Acrylic or poster paints for creating smooth, vibrant color backgrounds like the dark space sky and the white accents of the astronauts and spacecraft. Fine paintbrushes for detailing smaller elements such as the astronaut suits, spacecraft features, and reflections on the helmet visors. Black pen or marker for outlining key figures and enhancing contrast, making the spacecraft and astronauts stand out. Pencil for initial sketching and layout to structure the composition before applying color.
Description: “Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit.” My artwork beautifully captures astronauts enjoying a spacewalk on a celestial body, likely the Moon, with a futuristic spacecraft nearby and Earth glowing in the distance. The peaceful and adventurous scene emphasizes the unique leisure experience of a space vacation, highlighting human exploration beyond Earth. The astronauts are depicted in dynamic poses, engaging in activities that suggest both discovery and relaxation. The vastness of space combined with the proximity to home planet Earth creates a sense of wonder and excitement.
1st Prize High School
My Family's Spacecation
Title: My Family’s Spacecation
Artist: Miss Athena Magesh
School: Sri Chaitanya Techno School, Krishnagiri, India
Grade: High School, age 14
Medium/Tools Used: I made this art on a thick canvas sheet using acrylic paints. Using a graphite pencil, I drew the family and the habitat in the first sketch. I then employed a variety of brush sizes to get both precise details and wider strokes, using a larger flat brush for the ground and sky and a smaller round brush for the tiny stars. I used a fine liner brush to add details to the habitat and the family’s space suits. The colors are a blend of warm and cold hues, with brilliant browns, and greys for the planet’s surface and habitat, and blues, purples, and whites for the cosmic background.
Description: For our vacation, we soared to visit a celestial sphere, the Moon! It shows my family, including my parents, me and my brother in space suits, standing on the Moon with our personal spacecraft. The Earth is visible in the distance, a blue marble against the dark expanse. My art represents a hope that someday families will travel to space on vacation just as they now travel to different cities, creating new memories among the stars. It’s a roadmap to a future of cosmic exploration and family adventures.
Honorable Mentions: Graduate School
Arrival at the Lunar Base
Title: Arrival at the Lunar Base
Artist: Joshitha G
School: Chaitanya IPL Graduate School, India
Grade: Graduate School, age 23
Medium/Tools Used: Graphite pencils were used to create this piece of art on paper. The lunar landscape, the spacecraft, and the figures are given depth and texture through the use of shading, hatching, and fine line work, resulting in a realistic and evocative monochromatic scene.
Description: An astronaut carrying equipment descends from a lunar lander in the composition, while two other astronauts make their way toward far-off domed habitats surrounded by rocky mountains. The arrival is the main focus of the foreground, while the background and midground create a vast, barren lunar landscape with the domes implying human presence. This groundbreaking moment has a focal point and context thanks to the far-off Earth hanging in the sky.
Starlight Transit Hub: A Green Gateway to Space
Title: Starlight Transit Hub: A Green Gateway to Space
Artist: Mr. Mukul Kumar
School: Sri Chaitanya School, India
Grade: Graduate School, age 23.
Medium/Tools Used: Poster colors and acrylic paints for the bright blue walkway and vivid green trees. Black markers for clean outlines and glass reflections. White gel pen for highlights and starry effects.
Description: This artwork shows a futuristic space terminal where travelers walk through a glowing tunnel filled with fresh green trees. The wide glass walls open to a view of deep space, while sleek shuttles wait to carry people to orbiting cities and distant planets. The mix of nature and technology represents a future where humans can travel across the stars while protecting the environment. The bright blue floor lights guide passengers like a roadmap, symbolizing progress and connection between Earth and space.
Treasure Hunt on the Moon
Title: Treasure Hunt on the Moon
Artist: Koyyada Likhitha
School: Sri Chaitanya School, Cherial, Siddipet, Telangana, India
Grade: Graduate School, age 23
Medium/Tools Used: Poster and Acrylic Colors for the rocky surface, shadows, and bright spacesuits. Flat Brushes to paint the vast lunar ground. Round Brushes for details like astronauts and craters. White Ink / Gel Pen to highlight shining stars in the night sky. Blending Technique to give depth to rocks and soil textures. Most Creative Tool: Imagination to turn space science into a vacation adventure.
Description: Vacations are not only about relaxation but also about adventure and discovery. In my artwork, I imagined astronauts enjoying their holiday on a cosmic surface by digging, searching, and exploring craters. With shovels, detectors, and lights, they turn the barren land into an exciting playground. This vacation in space combines fun with curiosity, showing how exploration can also be a joyful holiday activity among the stars
Honorable Mentions: University
Space Express: The Future of Travel
Title: Space Express: The Future of Travel
Artist: Darshith M
School: B S Rao High School, Nagarbhavi, India
Grade: University, age 21
Medium/Tools Used: Poster colors with shading to show depth, metallic tones for the train, and perspective techniques to highlight scale.
Description: The painting envisions a high-speed space train of the future, transporting people on cosmic distances. A train moves through a grand space station against the supporting background of the planet Earth and stars far away. Passengers walk and wait, as at the railway stations of today, but amidst a condition of zero gravity that re-conceptualizes travel. The painting combines the familiarity of contemporary transport with the infinite possibilities of space travel.
Honorable Mentions: High School
Rolling to the Stars: The Mars Habitat Rover
Title: Rolling to the Stars: The Mars Habitat Rover
Artist: Mr. Abdul Riyas Sikkandar
School: Narayana E-Techno School, India
Grade: High School, age 15
Medium/Tools Used: Poster Colors: Tubes or bottles of water-based poster colors. Palette: To mix colors and dilute with water. Brushes: Different sizes for varying details. Paper: Thick paper or drawing sheet that can handle water without warping. Pencil and Eraser: For the initial sketch. Water Jar: To rinse brushes and dilute paints. Rag/Cloth: For wiping brushes and controlling moisture.
Description: This scene is full of hope. The spaceman’s suit shines as they put in a little X-ray vision to see what’s around them, making sure all is good for another adventure-filled day. The rover is a lot more than just a vehicle. It’s a car that we live out of, warm us up in, make food on and take shelter in. Each new day finds the team eager to investigate mysteries, sample precious rocks and seek throughout the velvety night sky signs of ancient life. This image lingers, a reminder that true exploration requires being ready, willing to cooperate, and brave enough to step beyond.
Exploring My Dream Space Station
Title: Exploring My Dream Space Station
Artist: Chintala Harini
School: Sri Chaitanya E-Techno School, Hanumakonda, Telangana, India
Grade: High School, age 19
Medium/Tools Used: Watercolors, Poster Colors, Black Pen Marker for Outlines, Color Pencils for Detailing, White Chart Paper Brushes (Flat and Round), Eraser, Sharp Pencil.
Description: This artwork shows my imagination of a vacation inside a futuristic space station. Families are walking through a giant tunnel built with advanced technology, surrounded by shining stars, spacecrafts, and distant planets. The circular rings and connected pathways represent how humans may one day create homes and cities in space. The painting captures the excitement of exploring a new world beyond Earth, where a holiday means not just traveling to another city, but to another planet or space colony.
Honorable Mentions: Middle School
Moonwalker's Brushstrokes
Title: Moonwalker’s Brushstrokes
Artist: Mr. Shravan Sharma
School: Narayana School, Indor, India
Grade: Middle School, age 13
Medium/Tools Used: 1. Poster colors for vibrant and bold expressions. 2. A palette to mix and blend colors. 3. High-quality paper for a smooth surface. 4. Paintbrushes of different sizes for detail work. 5. Pencils and erasers for sketching and corrections. 6. Water containers for cleaning brushes and mixing paints.
Description: This image describes an astronaut sitting on the Moon’s gray surface with a space suit. He is painting a vibrant picture of himself imagining that he is on the other planet (which is his dream) exploring and excavating the soil there. The land’s surface seems so bright and vibrant and it looked strange for him. The image portrays the capturing of his adventurous spirit and imagination. The scene looked more beautiful as reality as exploration with artistic creativity. The image symbolizes the wish and dream of human curiosity in exploring the unspoken and unseen space.
A Family Vacation Among the Stars
Title: A Family Vacation Among the Stars
Artist: Aravind Swamy Perumandla
School: Sri Chaitanya E-Tchno School, Thorrur, Hanumakonda, Telangana, India
Grade: Middle School, age 14
Medium/Tools Used: Acrylic Paints for vibrant and bold coloring. Poster Colors to give a bright and smooth finish. Color Pencils and Oil Pastels for shading and blending effects. Fine Tip Black Marker for neat outlines and details. Round and Flat Brushes for smooth strokes and background effects. Thick White Chart Paper / Drawing Sheet as a strong base.
Description: This artwork shows how families can enjoy a vacation in space, watching Earth and stars from a futuristic space habitat. It highlights joy, togetherness, and the beauty of space exploration as part of our future vacations.
