The search is on to find talented Year 12 students to represent the Isle of Man at the 2025 United Space School (USS) in Houston, Texas.

Taking place between July 13 and 28, 2025, the USS brings together students from over 20 countries to plan a crewed mission to Mars.

Since 2000, River Advisers has given scholarships to Isle of Man students to attend the prestigious programme, which is run by the Foundation for International Space Education (FISE). Participants will work alongside NASA astronauts, engineers, and scientists.

The competition is open to students from the island’s five high schools and King William’s College. Up to three scholarships are available for 2025.

Previous winners include Leo Crowe and Charlie Needham from Ramsey Grammar School and William Shooter from St Ninian’s High School.

To enter, students must submit written answers to three questions, namely: Why are you interested in space, what excites you the most about the future of space exploration and How do you think the Isle of Man can contribute to the future of space exploration?

Each answer should be between 500 and 1,000 words, submitted as a single PDF file using the naming format firstname-secondname-school.pdf. Entries should be emailed to [email protected] by 11:59pm on Friday, January 10, 2025.

Late entries will not be accepted, and winners will be announced by Friday, January 17, 2025.

Dr Jennifer Stone, Chief Technical Officer at River Advisers and the first scholarship recipient in 2000, said: ‘This competition is one of the real highlights of the year for us.

‘The calibre of students has been phenomenal, and our scholars consistently excel at the USS.

‘This is an incredible opportunity to work with peers from around the globe, develop lifelong friendships, and establish connections in the space industry. We can’t wait to read this year’s essays!’

The scholarships are awarded in partnership with the Department of Education, Sport and Culture.