Press release (pdf)

In each of the three categories the Winners and Runners Up are:


Category One - 1 - 11years

Winner:- Glissade
Reason: Planet Glissade sounds beautiful. Glissade means to glide along, as in ballet, which is like a planet, which glides along in the universe.
Name by: Erica Reed, 10years old, USA.


Runners Up:-

Name: Sumer
Reason: I believe a planet should be named "Sumer." Sumerians are from Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, and we should honor our first civilization on earth.
Name by: Brenden Reed, 8years old, USA


Name: Naveen
Reason: Naveen is the synonym of Newness, change and something different. So I chose this name for a NEW planet.
Name by: Akansha Sharma, 8years old, India


Name: Bellaroccia
Reason: It means beautiful rock. Someday someone might live there, it should have a nice name.
Name by: Jane Fenske Newbart, 7years old, USA



Category Two - 12+ years

Winner:- Erytheia
Reason: In Greek mythology, an island at the western edge of the world bathed red by the light of the setting sun.
Name by: Nathan Phillips, 15years old, USA


Runners Up:-

Name: Seshat
Reason: Seshat was an ancient Egyptian goddess of astronomy and wisdom, among other things.
Name by: Emily Temple-Wood, 15years old, USA


Name: Anima
Reason: Anima is an Italic word, which it mean the soul. Finding a new planet make us more curious as it may bring new expectations to our soul to live on a new planet like as the Earth.
Name by: Nuwani Ishara Thotawatta, 16years old, Sri Lanka


Name: Astraeus
Reason: Was the Titan god of the stars and planets, and the art of astrology.
Name by: Christina Thowsen, 12years old, United Kingdom


Name: Makrilios
Reason: Makrilios is a contraction of the Greek words makrinos, meaning far, and ilios, meaning sun. This is because at Kuiper belt distances, the sun is far.
Name by: Deanta Kelly, 12years old, USA



Category Three – Schools, Groups and Astronomy Clubs

Winner:- Virgil
Reason: In honor of both the poet and the astronaut (Grissom).
Name by: Bruce McHam - McKinney High School, USA


Runners Up:-

Name: Serendipity
Reason: The children think Serendipity is a great name because many great scientific discoveries are a combination of hard work and good luck!!
Name by: Neighborhood After School Science Association (NASSA), USA


Name: De Winne
Reason: Frank De Winne was the first ISS Commander worked for ESA.
Name by: Oberon, USA


Name: Umex
Reason: We represent our naming X in a simple equation: (U + Me = Us). Thus, Umex.
Name by: Young Astronomers, Ghana



Winners will receive a copy of the award-winning documentary of Venetia’s story, Naming Pluto and a film poster, care of Father Films, telescope time care of Bellatrix Observatory, Italy and a signed certificate from our judges. Winning names will be included in a formal proposal to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Committee for Small Body Nomenclature (CSBN).

The team and jury did not plan to select Runners Up for Naming X but as several names stood out we would like to extend a special mention to our Runners Up by way of a signed certificate from our judging panel.