Fancy having your own spacesuit? The winner of a new Xbox competition will get just that.
Xbox has teamed up with the European Space Agency for this competition, which asks gamers to submit their designs for a spacesuit. The winner will then have their concept made into a real piece of clothing.
Is it going to be space-worthy? We wouldn’t bet on it, considering Nasa spacesuits cost between £172m and £392m a pop, depending on the source consulted. The prize bundle is worth $1,704.97 (£1,339.33) according to the competition’s terms and conditions.
The winner will also receive an Xbox Series X with a Starfield limited edition Xbox wireless controller and headset. And there’s only one prize package up for grabs. Bit stingy? Yes.
This is a tie-in with the Bethesda game Starfield, released in September 2023.
Those who want to get involved can download a template from the Xbox competition website. This provides multi-angle views of a person, to allow for drawings of the made-up spacesuit from multiple angles.
“No weapons” is one of the key rules. Starfield may be jammed full of weapons, but actual space exploration is not. No videos are allowed either, just those drawings, and a 250-word description of what the suit is all about is needed, too.
The ESA said the aim is to “spread awareness of the challenges of space exploration".
It could be a fun way to while away a drizzly afternoon for the kids. But, if you want to get serious about winning, it’s worth looking into how this competition will be judged.
There are three criteria. These are creativity, practicality in a space setting and, the one some folks might miss, “alignment with 'Starfield' game aesthetic".
Starfield is quite a clinical-looking game, so think more “space utopia” than “intergalactic Mad Max” is our advice.
You’re advised not to use AI image generation either, if more to avoid copyright issues than for any moral stance taken on behalf of the ESA or Microsoft Xbox.
The competition is open now, and runs until 4am on February 25.
