LONDON – The call is out for Europe’s brightest minds under 32 to revolutionize agriculture through satellite technology. The prestigious ‘Farming by Satellite Prize’ returns with a grand prize of €5,000, challenging entrants to envision how satellite innovations can reshape farming while minimizing environmental impact.

Dr. Andrew Speedy, Chair of Judges, emphasized the competition’s focus on novel ideas leveraging Europe’s satellite navigation services EGNOS, Galileo, and the European Earth Observation program, Copernicus. This year, students and young professionals are encouraged to undertake projects during the summer break, with submissions expected to explore cutting-edge topics like Big Data, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence within the framework of agriculture.

The finalists will converge at a prestigious event for the judging and awards ceremony, all expenses covered. Past venues have included the SIMA agricultural show in Paris, a Space Solutions conference in Prague, and the International Green Week in Berlin. A similar venue is being arranged for late 2018.

The initiative, a collaboration between the European GNSS Agency and the European Environment Agency, is sponsored by CLAAS, a global leader in agricultural machinery manufacturing. The competition aims to showcase Europe’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Earth Observation (EO) services’ potential in agriculture.

Since its inception in 2012, the competition has attracted participants from across Europe, with previous finalists hailing from Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Germany, Romania, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Projects have covered diverse topics such as geo-referenced online data platforms, precision seed planting robots, and crop type detection systems.

The most recent winners, a team from ISA Lille in France, impressed the judges with their proposal for optimizing plant cover properties using satellite imagery. Reflecting on the impact of their victory, team member Louise Vernier highlighted how it facilitated her internship search, emphasizing the professional validation it provided.

Marie Rolloy, another team member, encouraged aspiring innovators to seize the opportunity, underscoring the confidence and networking benefits the Prize offers.

For those eager to participate, registration is open until June 30, 2018, with early registrants gaining access to support events. Final submissions must be received by September 7, 2018.

For full competition details and registration, visit www.farmingbysatellite.eu.