Would-be astronauts and budding scientists have a rare chance to meet the first Briton in space by taking part in a competition to attend a conference in Wapping.

Helen Sharman will be joining fashion blogger Fleur de Force and hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks in this year’s line-up for the WIRED2014: Next Generation conference, due to take place on October 18 at London’s Tobacco Dock.

50 youngsters aged between 12 and 18 are invited to enter a competition and win a free place to enter the event. They will need to explain what inspires them about the digital world, and particularly what excites them most about the future of technology.

The conference will be packed with tech-inspired activities and speakers from the worlds of fashion, music, coding, design and workshops will offer hands-on training in skills as diverse as building a pocket spacecraft and making a viral video.

It is being organised by Macmillan Science and Education in partnership with Connecting Tech City.

The competition to win a free place is open to 12-18 year olds who live or go to school in Islington, Tower Hamlets, Newham or Hackney, or within London’s N1 postcode, home to the Macmillan Science and Education campus. Each winner will be driven to and from the event by Get Taxi, free of charge.

Connecting Tech City is a programme to connect more young people in east London to opportunities to learn digital skills and get a job in East London’s Tech City. Macmillan Science and Education is the project’s largest corporate donor, having kick-started fundraising activity earlier in the year to help hit a crowd-funding target of £50,000.

The competition entry deadline is Friday October 10. The entry form can be found here: https://billetto.co.uk/wired-next-generation-2014.