Manitoba Child Astronomer Telescope Competition – Winnipeg

A renewed interest in space and rockets, spurred in part by private space flights that have been in the news in recent months, means the Winnipeg chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) is continuing his campaign to get children interested in astronomy.

The RASC is embarking on its second annual “Telescopes for Kids” competition, in which young astronomy enthusiasts under the age of 18 can enter by December 31st.

The company’s Gord Tulloch told Global News that the initiative began last year when RASC received donations of telescopes from a benefactor who asked them to go to the children.

“We held an essay writing competition,” Tulloch said. “We had some great starters, and it was a lot of fun for everyone, so we decided to make it an annual thing.”

In August, the RASC began collecting donations of used and new telescopes and accessories, as well as money, so they could purchase various accessories for the telescopes, Tulloch said.

“Now we are looking for children to participate. There will be a jury made up of RASC members, and we will assess the applications. We have telescopes that are suitable for young and old.

Applications will be assessed on the basis of age. The winners will receive the telescopes around Christmas, Tulloch said.

While the first year of the competition involved writing essays, the way kids can enter is much more varied this time around. Essays are always welcome, but so are songs, poems, stories, videos, skits – really any kind of creative expression that focuses on ‘why I love astronomy and would love a telescope ”.

Tulloch said it was important to generate enthusiasm for the hobby among the younger generations.

“I am a child of the Apollo era, and it was a very exciting time for space,” he said.

“It got a lot of kids interested in astronomy – we have a lot of people my age in the club.

“With the recent rocket craze and the possibility of having boots on Mars in 5 to 10 years, there is a lot of enthusiasm for space and astronomy. In fact, the pandemic has created a huge demand for astronomical products. Vendors can’t keep them on the shelves.

Full details of the competition are available on the company’s website.