The Young Australian Space Leader Award

The Young Australian Space Leader (YASL) Award is a scholarship for the Youth of Australia to attend the International Astronautical Congress, wherever it might be in the world; from South Africa to Mexico to Adelaide. 

The 2024 IAC will be in Milan, Italy in October 2024. We are proud to announce that we now have the opportunity to send multiple Young Australian Space Leaders to Europe again. The selected YASL recipients will represent young Australia to the greater global Space Industry through an expenses paid scholarship, including travel, accommodation, and attendance fees. 

Young Australian Space Leaders are selected based on their impact on the Australian Space industry – from community outreach to interdisciplinary initiatives and industry engagement, each recipient has demonstrated that they are the future leaders of our Space Industry. Each category will be assessed by an independent panel, with representatives from relevant industry and/or experience in their private ventures, ranging from space executives to former YASL recipients. 

This scholarship would not be possible without the generous donations of individuals and the ongoing support of our industry partners. The AYAA and its scholarship recipients alike are endlessly grateful for the opportunities created.

Young Australian Space Leaders 2024

Georgi Coddington

Nathanael Vazouras

Alana Liebelt

Thomas Molesworth

James Gray

Pat Underwood

University of Wollongong

Macquarie
University

University of
Adelaide

University of Queensland

Monash
University

RMIT

Frequently Asked Questions

YASL 2025 applications are set to open in Mid 2025.

Eligibility for a YASL Award varies per category. Regardless, for all categories, all recipients must be:

  • a (current) full-time Bachelor’s or (integrated) Master’s student at an accredited University in Australia during IAC, and
  • be between the age of 18 and 35 (inclusive) during IAC in October 2024.

PhD and MPhil candidates are not eligible, nor are students graduating mid this year. 

For the  award specifically nominated team members must have been in an AURC team during the competition timeline, ie. they must have joined in September of 2023 the very latest. All other eligibility criteria still apply. 

This scholarship will include flights to and from Milan, accommodation in Milan, and entry to the IAC.

Unfortunately we are unable to accept students under the age of 18. 

This is not just due to the complexities of international travel, this is also an activity requirement. 

There are other scholarships you might be eligible for! Keep up to date with our scholarships by clicking the button  higher up the page. 

The YASL Scholarship will pay for an approved flight from any Australian Capital city to Milan (and back). 

Should you be successful in your application, you will be contacted and a meeting will be scheduled to arrange this with you.

Applications close in stages, details can be found in the descriptions above or in the “YASL Information Booklet”.

We know the closing date is close (in previous years, YASL applications were only open for 48 hours!). If you think you’re going to have a difficult time getting your application done on time, contact us at  and we can evaluate your situation.

As a national organisation managed by student volunteers and young professionals, there are bound to be potential or perceived conflicts of interest. The AYAA prides itself on its integrity and professionalism, as such we have worked to ensure these scholarships provide an equal opportunity to eligible groups, including current and former volunteers.

More specifically the following mitigations are in place: 

  • All Scholarships are awarded by a panel of diverse industry representatives. 
  • Any interaction with the assessing panel renders an individual applicant ineligible, this applies to AYAA volunteers at all levels, as well as non-AYAA  applicants. 
  • AURC nominees must be endorsed by a faculty staff member (not a team executive).

By staying outside of the selection and awarding process our volunteers don’t have to worry about perceived conflicts, and can continue to create opportunities for those around them whilst building their own career.

Should you still have questions that remain unanswered, we strongly encourage you to contact scholarships@ayaa.com.au so that we can adress your concerns accordingly. We have gone to great lengths to ensure that we can ensure as fair and equal access as reasonably possible to the opportunities we provide. 

Please contact us at scholarships@ayaa.com.au and we will endeavour to get back to you as soon as we can!

The Young Australian Space Leader Award is awarded to selected individuals who have demonstrated consistent commitment, drive and passion towards furthering the capability of the Australian space industry in their careers as well as extracurricular capacity. Their involvement in the greater space ecosystem has created opportunities, driven excellence and built resilience across their ventures and initiatives. They are selected based on their excellent achievements to date, in and outside of the AYAA and its events and programmes. 

Past Young Australian Space Leaders

The AYAA first introduced the YASL program in 2011 (then called the Australian Futures Award). Past recipients have gone on to do great things across our space ecosystem; have a look at their names below.

YASL 2022 – Paris, France 

Myrthe Snoeks
Daniel Wikner
James Orman
Alison Lockley
Gavin Choong
Laura Breckon

YASL 2019 – Washington DC, United States

Meaghan Munro
Bal Dhital
Daniel Williams

YASL 2018 – Bremen, Germany

Luke Heffernan
Bao-Thien Nguyen
Rhiannon Hames
Ying Luo

YASL 2017 – Adelaide, Australia

Brittany Chambers
Oliver Paxton
Philip Dahm
Steven Apirana
Evelina Onopriyenko (Laird)
Caitlyn Georgeson
Filip Drazovic
Meika Liveris

YASL 2016 – Guadalajara, Mexico

Brock Little
Kate Dent
Katherine Cox
Simon Clifford

YASL 2015 – Jerusalem, Israel

Conor MacDonald
Blake Edwards

YASL 2014 – Toronto, Canada

Tasman Powis
Nikita Sardesai
Jessica Todd
Jessica Orr

YASL 2013 – Beijing, China

Imogen Rea
John Furness
Jacob Hacker
Eren Gorur
Mandeep Singh
Alexander Bowen-Rotsaert

Australian Futures Award 2012 – Naples, Italy

Abhijeet Kumar
Somalwar Utpreksha
Jack Yeh

Australian Futures Award 2011 – Cape Town, South Africa

Cynthia Chen
Kristian Grayson
Michael Kretzenbacher