Call for Proposal: Telescopes for All 2021!

We are pleased to share that IAU Office of Astronomy Outreach (IAU OAO) has call for the proposal from people around the world or its new project where they will be distributing 12 telescopes globally. The telescopes are signed by astronauts, Nobel laureates, astronomy communicators and scientists with inspiring roles in their communities.

Submit Your Proposal to IAU NOC by 11:59 PM NPT, May 30, 2021

We welcome proposals for projects that will broaden the horizons of children, parents and educators alike, sparking an interest in science and raise awareness of equal opportunities for pursuing a career in astronomy.

If you want to participate, reach out to IAU National Outreach Coordinator (NOC) for Nepal and present them your proposal to request an endorsement. 

We encourage schools, college, clubs, individuals or amateur groups to apply for this call for proposal so that if they win the telescope they can serve their community with astronomy outreach. Priority will be given to activities that tackle gender equality and take underrepresented groups into account. 

Though IAU National Outreach Coordinators are also eligible to participate, IAU National Outreach Coordinator (NOC) for Nepal will not participate in order to provide equal/fair opportunity to everyone applying from Nepal!

Submission Format:

Submit one paragraph (maximum in 300 words) describing how and where the telescope will be used to inspire underserved children with astronomy in Nepal

Submission Process:

• Individual/Group submits proposal to IAU NOC for review and recommendation. 
• IAUNOC/s provide recommendation 
• Individual/Group submits the proposal and recommendation from NOC to IAU Office of Astronomy Outreach (IAU OAO) via email: public@oao.iau.org with the subject line “Telescopes for All 2021”

Evaluation Criteria:

• Submissions will be evaluated by a representative from IAU OAO and SSVI and will be considered based on: 
• Creativity (if your proposal is original or has an original component to it), Impact (how it will affect the communities where it will be implemented), 
• Sustainability (if and how you will continue to use the telescope beyond the project). 

***Communities that are underserved in terms of telescopes provisions in the area/region will be given priority.***

The Telescopes:

The telescope is a refractor Bresser 90/1200 and will be delivered with a special mount, custom-made by amateur telescopes making group Kijkerbouw of the Public Observatory Armand Pien Belgium for SSVI. The equipment comes complete with a telescope tube, viewfinder, zenith prism, solar filter, 25mm and 15mm Plössl eyepieces, one electronic eyepiece (webcam), tripod and mount. This telescope can be used to observe the Moon, the planets of our Solar System, some of their moons, and the brightest Messier objects (e.g. the Orion Nebula, globular clusters, binary stars). 

IMPORTANT: The use of a solar filter is mandatory to observe the Sun. Severe eye damage will occur if you don't use a solar filter.

Notes on Shipping:

Winners will be sent a telescope (in one single package) with a tracking number. Information about the educational value of the telescope will be included. The recipient of the telescope will be responsible for any local expenses (like customs taxes). It is not possible to resend the telescope, so an accurate address and contact phone number must be provided.

Acknowledgements:

Sterren Schitteren Voor Iedereen (Stars Shine for Everyone - SSVI) is a cooperation between Volkssterrenwacht A.Pien vzw (Public Observatory Armand Pien) and Ghent University. The project is based on the idea that “all children in special education and vulnerable people should have the opportunity to admire the starry sky with the help of a telescope,” according to project leader and founder Jean-Pierre Grootaerd. 

SSVI is carried out by the amateur telescope making group Kijkerbouw of the UGent Public Observatory Armand Pien in Ghent, Belgium. Belgian astronauts Dirk Firmout and Frank De Winne parented the project SSVI and Science4Girls. SSVI is in collaboration with the Euro Space Society and Universe Awareness. 

Bresser has generously donated the telescopes to SSVI and Telescopes for All project. Telescopes for All is also possible thanks to the support from Leiden University.

Agreement with Applicants:

• All decisions of the project organisers about any aspect of the Telescopes for All, including eligibility or disqualification of applications, comments and images, and final distribution, are final and cannot be appealed. 
• By submitting information for the Telescopes for All about the conducted proposals, applicants consent to the use, reproduction, publication, transmission and dissemination of their name and information relating to the project by the organisers and/or partners, without compensation, in any publications or promotional material, to promote the projects and its winners. 
• Telescopes for All and the organisers reserve the right to make changes to the project at any time without prior notice, to temporarily interrupt the project, or to cancel the project without justification or being in any way accountable for this decision. No damages or compensation may be claimed by applicants to the project. 
• By submitting a proposal, applicants acknowledge that Telescopes for All, the organisers, and collaborators are not responsible for any local expenses (such as customs taxes) associated with receiving the telescope if the applicant wins a telescope. 
• Telescopes for All, the organisers, and the collaborators are not responsible for injury acquired through the use of a telescope acquired through Telescopes for All. Telescope users are responsible for their use of the telescope. 

For more information, please visit https://www.iau.org/public/telescopecollaboration/