S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge Partners with Blue Origin’s Club for the Future to Inspire the Next Generation of Space Explorers

The S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge is thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership with Blue Origin’s Club for the Future. This educational nonprofit was founded by Blue Origin to inspire and mobilize future generations to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM).

This collaboration will connect thousands of TK-12 students with the wonder of space exploration through reading, hands-on science activities, and inspiring interactions with space industry professionals. As part of the partnership, participating students will have the opportunity to utilize Club for the Future's educational resources, watch inspirational video messages, and take part in a unique activity called Postcards to Space. In this activity, students can design postcards that will travel to space and back aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket.

“The mission of the S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge has always been to spark curiosity and help students see themselves as future innovators and explorers,” said Pat Burns, Founder of the Reading Challenge. “Partnering with Blue Origin’s Club for the Future is truly a dream come true. Together, we can reach even more students, especially those in underserved communities, and give them experiences that will fuel a lifetime of learning.”

Since its launch in 2021, the S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge has engaged students across Orange County and beyond, combining literacy with STEM learning in a dynamic, countywide program. This is a local-to-global story about how literacy and STEM education are joining forces to prepare students for future space careers. Students log their reading, participate in themed STEM activities, and earn exciting bonus prizes, including both in-person and virtual meet-and-greets with engineers, scientists, and astronauts.

The 2025 S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge will run from October 3 to October 24, 2025, culminating in the Splashdown Celebration on November 8, 2025 at the Orange County Department of Education headquarters. The celebration will honor top readers and feature special guest speakers, hands-on STEM demonstrations, and award presentations.

Through this partnership, Club for the Future will bring its mission-aligned resources to the challenge, further strengthening the connection between literacy and real-world space exploration. In addition to postcards flown to space, students will have access to motivational stories of space innovation, career pathways in STEM, and the knowledge that they, too, can play a role in shaping humanity’s future beyond Earth.

Students, families, and educators can learn more and register at ReadSteam.org.

For more information on Club for the Future, visit ClubforFuture.org.

About S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge

The S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge is a literacy and STEM initiative that inspires students to dream big by connecting books, hands-on STEM activities, and direct engagement with professionals from the worlds of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. In partnership with the Orange County Department of Education and local libraries, the challenge has reached thousands of students, igniting a passion for learning and exploration.