The European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) and Exolaunch are excited to announce the winners of their “Why Space Matters” Competition!
This competition was hosted as part of ESPI’s Space Provocations programme at the Universe Pavilion of the 2025 Biennale di Venezia on 21 June 2025, which invited participants to explore and reimagine the intersections between space, policy, and art. The competition asked participants to submit their response to the question: Why Space Matters? in 120 characters or less for their chance to win a custom-built light saber.
Congratulations to Ashton Hawkins and Luca Iaboni for their winning submissions, which stood out for their creativity and insight, showing that space is not only about technology and exploration, but also about imagination, artistic vision, and the future of humanity.
We are also pleased to share a few honourable mentions which, while not winning submissions, are nonetheless inspiring and thought-provoking.
At Exolaunch, we launch dreams into orbit. Partnering with ESPI on the Why Space Matters competition at the Universe Pavilion of the 2025 Venice Biennale has been a true honour. We are inspired by the young minds who can show that space is not just about technology, but about imagination, creativity, and the bold vision to shape the future - those who dare to dream big, push boundaries, and reach for new horizons. It is this courage to think beyond limits and go further that propels us forward, driving exploration and innovation.
The range of submissions received as part of this competition reflected wide range of sentiments, including “exploration“, “perspective“, and “inspiration” amongst others:
Space maintains far-reaching significance, showcasing the benefits for the overall economy in areas such as pharma, biotech, digital, agriculture, energy, automotive and in enhancing the efficiency of existing markets and developing new ones. Like the Internet revolution 20 years ago and AI today, space is a transformative force, which affects all domains of life.
