This is what the 2012 DStv Eutelsat Star Awards want to know from African students. Now in its second year, the Awards, which are a product of the partnership between Eutelsat and MultiChoice Africa, aim to inspire innovative thinking among secondary and high-school students, to create awareness on how science and technology can be applied to everyday life, and to showcase the many ways that satellites already impact on the development of the African continent.

The awards take the form of a competition open to 14-19 year-old students in 42 countries. Students are invited to write an essay or design a poster depicting how innovative use of satellite technology in the fields of communication, earth observation or navigation can propel Africa into the future. Winners at national levels win prizes, such as computers or tablets, and go forward to compete in the overall awards as winner or runner up of the overall essay and poster entries respectively. The winning essay recipient will win a trip with parent or guardian to Eutelsat in Paris and to witness a live rocket launch. The best poster winner and a parent or guardian will also win a visit to Eutelsat in France and to a satellite manufacturing facility.

The overall runners-up win a trip for two to visit MultiChoice facilities and the South African Space Agency near Johannesburg, South Africa. The schools attended by the overall award winners and runners-up will also be rewarded with a DStv installation, including dish, television, state-of-the-art PVR decoder and free access to the DStv Education Bouquet. To enter, students need to pick up copies of the entry form and rules at their nearest MultiChoice office or download a copy at www.dstvstarawards.com. Entries for the awards close on October 8, 2012.