The Challenge is being organized and hosted by NASA and Bradley University, in partnership with Caterpillar, Bechtel, and Brick & Mortar Ventures. Registration is officially open now and will close January 31, 2017.  The final head-to-head competition/demonstration will be hosted Aug 24-27 at Caterpillar's Edwards, IL proving grounds. 

This and previous NASA Centennial Challenges are prize competitions intended to inspire and activate citizen inventors to develop and showcase innovative technologies with potential to disrupt the future of space exploration and habitation. As the name suggests, the 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge is designed to encourage radical innovation and progress toward developing habitats on the Moon and Mars -- the stuff of science fiction.
The $50,000 Phase 1 competition called for conceptual designs of 3D-printed habitat on the Moon and Mars and yielded over 200 submissions from design teams including the likes of Norman Foster's firm Foster + Partners (link to their design here). Phase 2 take things a big higher, upping the prize purse to $1.1M and calling for citizen inventors to actually manufacture a structural member that could be used in future design and in situ fabrication of space-based habitats. Complete rules and registration can be found here.

We will also host an interactive webinar on November 16 at 3 p.m. (Central Time Zone) to learn more about the challenge. Experts from NASA, Caterpillar, Bechtel, Brick & Mortar Ventures and Bradley University will walk you through the key components of the competition. You’ll learn about the purpose, the rules, the milestones and the head-to-head competition. You’ll also have the chance to ask questions and give your ideas! If you are even thinking about forming a team, join us to learn more.  Visit our website for details.