Outline of Contest Student Registration Steps:
- Step 1 – Request a Visa Invitation Letter, if required to enter the United States
- Step 2 – NSS Contest Student Registration
- Step 3 – Oral Presentation and/or Poster Presentation Applications
- Step 4 – ISDC Conference Registration and Payment
Need Help? Have Questions? Contact isdc.students@nss.org.
Step 1: Visa Invitation Letter
Check to see if you need visa to enter the United States. Read this page for information about visas.
You should avoid registering for the conference (Step #4) if you don’t have an approved visa. While it is advised that you should make your hotel reservation early, check your hotel’s cancellation policy in case you need to cancel your trip. But do register with the NSS Contest Student Registration (Step #2).
The visa approval procedure usually happens in two steps: 1) biometrics and 2) interview. You can read about the entire process here.
Important: Participants should apply for their visas as early as possible. For any further queries or sample documents, check the U.S. Government Immigration Help Website here.
Step 2: NSS Contest Student Registration
Fill out the NSS Contest Student Registration Form.
See Step #3 for more information about what to include with Oral Presentation and/or Poster Presentation Applications.
Please note: Contest Students need to register both in the Contest Student Registration (Step #2) and the ISDC 2026 Conference Registration (Step #4) before May 1, 2026.
Step 3: Oral Presentation and/or Poster Presentation Applications
Apply to request to present an Oral Presentation in the NSS Contest Student Registration.
Apply to request to present a Poster Presentation in the NSS Contest Student Registration.
Applications must be submitted by May 1, 2026, to be considered for a slot.
A limited number of contest student teams will be assigned a poster session day and time during the conference. Confirmed teams are expected to stand beside their posters and communicate with conference attendees. Posters must have their title & email contact also labelled on the back of the poster and it must be visible when rolled up (e.g. by sticker, marker or printed).
NOTE: We no longer require other student forms to be filled out.
Step 4: Conference Registration and Payment
Please click on the following link to register for the ISDC 2026 conference (this link is valid for all registrations, including students participating in the Gerard K. O’Neill Space Settlement Contest and the Live in a Healthy Space Design Competition, chaperones, other students, and all other attendees):