Design a toy or gadget for someone your age… who’s moving to Mars!
Space to Dream is a free, curriculum-aligned Design Thinking challenge for Australian students in Years 2–8. Delivered in partnership with the Commissioner for Children and Young People (SA) and Makers Empire, this fun, hands-on challenge helps students build design thinking, creativity, and STEM skills while imagining life on Mars.
In 2025, Makers Empire is launching again an exciting fully interactive Online Space to Dream Challenge Course within the Makers Empire 3D design app, now across Australia!
The new Space to Dream Challenge Course offers students a guided, in-app learning experience filled with video content, interactive quizzes, and step-by-step design tutorials — all building towards a final Mars-themed design challenge.
✅ Learn from inspiring videos featuring Aussies working in the space sector
✅ Test their knowledge with fun, in-app quizzes
✅ Follow expert-led tutorials to level up their 3D design skills
✅ Complete a design thinking challenge
Design a toy or gadget for a child moving to Mars!
All entries are eligible for a national design competition, with selected winning designs 3D printed and featured in an online exhibition.
📌 Date | 📌 Event |
Term 3 | Challenge Opens |
June – July | Best time to register your school |
Term 3 End | Challenge Closes |
October | Winners Announced |
December | Online Exhibition begins at the Australian Space Discovery Centre |
Primary schools in all states and territories
Libraries (great for school holiday programs)
Homeschoolers (individually or in groups)
Community organisations, including Scouts and Guides
In 2023, over 4,000 students across Australia and internationally took part in Space to Dream. Now it’s your turn!
Access to the interactive Space to Dream Challenge Course in Makers Empire’s 3D app
A downloadable Teacher Guide with curriculum links and extension activities
The opportunity for students’ work to be featured in the Space to Dream Online Exhibition
Optional free support from Makers Empire’s Learning team
Backed by the 2022 UniSA research, Makers Empire has been proven to:
Improve students’ spatial reasoning and design thinking
Boost confidence, especially among girls
Increase positive attitudes toward STEM learning
Inspire more students to pursue STEM in the future
Individual students may also register to participate in the program.
The challenge has been designed for grades 2-8 students.
To develop students’ design thinking, creativity, and STEM skills by engaging them in a real-world, space-themed design challenge that encourages empathy, problem-solving, and innovation.
Students who participate in this challenge will:
Yes, this program aligns with the Australian Curriculum.
The Challenge Course is expected to take 3-5 hours to complete. Additional activities provided could take a further 3-10 hours.
Yes, absolutely! We can set up a complimentary trial account for your school to participate in this challenge if you are not a Makers Empire customer.
Open to all Australian schools, libraries, homeschoolers & community groups.
