Due Dates:

Notice of intent* Requested by December 19, 2011 (this is not required, but is very much appreciated...if you decide to enter after December, 2011, please send a notice of intent at that time)

Final entry is due on or before March 19, 2012--no exceptions

*A notice of intent tells NASA that you plan to enter the competition. This helps us to determine how many reviewers we need for the final entries. 

The notice should be emailed and should include the following details:

To: elizabeth.b.ward@nasa.gov
Subject line: ERA High School Contest
Body of message contents:
student's name
teacher's name
name and location of school (city and state)
type of school (public, private, or home school)
grade level of student (9, 10, 11 or 12)
email address for student and teacher

Eligibility: 

Any US student enrolled in an accredited high school, secondary school, or home school in the US or its territories is eligible to enter the competition for cash prizes. Non-US citizens and students in international locations can enter as well, but they are not eligible for cash prizes. Trophies and certificates will be awarded to each winner, regardless of citizenship. 

A teacher, parent, guardian, or other adult mentor associated with the student's education must endorse each student entry. This means that a responsible adult must review and approve the student entry before it is submitted to NASA. The adult should also affirm that the student did the research and writing themselves. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will disqualify an entry.
 
Resources:

Students can search NASA's web sites for the latest information on fundamental aeronautics projects.
We will post specific information about the NASA ERA project soon. For background information, students can use periodicals such as Scientific American, Popular Science, , Aviation Week, etc. Students should consult with their high school English teacher to make sure their entries are well written and references are noted appropriately.