The hybrid formula of ERC 2020 is not the only novelty of the sixth edition of the event. This year – for the first time in the history of the competition – the special Best Design Award was awarded for the best robotic rover design. The initiator of this award is the Warsaw-based company SENER Polska, which designed and made, among others, Martian umbilical cord for the European ExoMars rover. Among the winners, selected on the basis of the technical documentation sent by the teams, are: AGH Space Systems from Poland as well as STAR Dresden e.V and ERIG e.V. from Germany. The winning teams will have the opportunity to participate in a webinar with experts from the international SENER group who worked on NASA and the European Space Agency Mars missions. 

• AGH Space System, Poland – Best Design – for overall best design of ERC rover
• STAR Dresden e.V, Germany – Best Docs – excellent preparation of documentation according to ERC rules and showing great professionalism
• ERIG e.V, Germany – Best Science Design – for depth analysis and showing truly interdisciplinary approach 

The new formula of the ERC competition, to an even greater extent than in previous editions, emphasizes the autonomy of projects created by teams. During the ERC 2020 final, competitors will be able to control the Polish LEO Rover robots using algorithms, commands or a manipulator. In addition to two field competitions, which this year are strongly focused on developing programming skills, we also prepare non-competition sets of tasks for engineers based on mechanical and electrical analysis – explains Łukasz Wilczyński from the European Space Foundation, the main organizer of the competition. Additionally, an extensive online training and workshop program will be waiting for all competitors in September. By conducting them in a remote formula, we also enable those team members who have not yet come to the ERC finals to Poland to participate in training – he adds.