NASA crowns winners of Mars-to-Table food system contest, awarding $300,000 to Philadelphia innovator

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center announced the winners of the 2026 Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table, a competition aimed at creating complete food-production systems for long-duration Martian missions. After reviewing 113 submissions from 33 nations and 28 U.S. states, the agency awarded $300,000 to Chinyere Ukeje of Philadelphia for the Adaptive Nourishment Infrastructure, a modular system that blends controlled-environment agriculture, fermentation, fungi cultivation and closed-loop nutrient recycling to generate 50% of a crew’s meals.

Second place went to Cislune of Rosemead, California, with a Fresh, Ferment, Reserve concept, while Ohā Kanu from Hilo, Hawaii received the Applied Frameworks Award for an Ahupuaʻa-inspired design. Additional prizes recognized Orbital Health Systems, Inc., Autonomic Resilience Collective, and the Belgian team Astrofood. The challenge builds on earlier NASA-CSA efforts and seeks solutions for a 15-person crew over 500 Martian sols, reducing reliance on pre-packaged supplies for future deep-space exploration.