The European Space Agency (ESA), through its youth education programme ESA Kids, organises Paxi’s Cosmic Art Competition. The aim of this competition is to showcase young people’s creative work on the theme of space. Entries can take many different forms (drawings, paintings, models, etc.), giving young artists the freedom to express their imagination and creativity. As the ESA and JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft is about to arrive at Mercury, ESA has chosen “Bepi’s Journey to Mercury” as the theme for November.
The BepiColombo mission
Launched aboard an Ariane 5 rocket on 19 October 2018, the BepiColombo mission aims to reach Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun, and enter orbit around it. Comprising the MPO and Mio spacecraft, the mission is jointly managed by ESA and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA). Its objective is to study the planet’s surface, internal structure and magnetic field in detail. Although Mercury is only slightly further from Earth than Mars, its proximity to the Sun makes placing spacecraft into orbit around it much more challenging. To achieve this, BepiColombo has carried out one flyby of Earth, two flybys of Venus and six flybys of Mercury before entering orbit around the planet.
On 21 November 2026, the spacecraft will enter orbit around Mercury, ready to begin the next chapter of its incredible adventure. Once at Mercury, two spacecraft – ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA’s Mio – will explore the planet and its surroundings. This will be the first time that two spacecraft have orbited Mercury simultaneously!
Bepi’s journey to Mercury has been a real adventure. Over the course of its eight-year journey, it will have witnessed some extraordinary phenomena. For this competition, it’s up to you to imagine the spectacular landscapes the spacecraft may have encountered along the way, or the surprises awaiting it as it explores Mercury! ESA will select the competition winners. Their artwork will be displayed in Paxi’s Space Gallery, and they will receive a special prize!
How can I take part?
To participate in the November 2026 contest, your entries must be submitted to ESA by November 30, 2026. You can submit them directly on the contest page by clicking this link, or you can mail them to the following address: ESA Education, ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1, PO Box 299 NL-2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
Participants must be under 12 years old. Please also note that entries sent by mail will not be returned, and you will not receive a confirmation of receipt. Selected participants will be contacted by ESA.
Good luck to everyone! We can’t wait to see your creations!
