Wolfson students win top prize in Entente Cordiale Challenge

The trio’s winning report, ICSO Out of this World: Solving the Problem of Space Debris, proposed the creation of a new international body, the International Civil Space Organisation (ICSO), to tackle the growing challenge of space debris, an increasingly urgent yet under-recognised threat to global space security.

Zhe Qian and Mateen are both reading History and Politics at Wolfson, while Maegan studies Human, Social, and Political Sciences (HSPS) at King’s. As overall winners of the competition, the team will present their work at Buckingham Palace in June.

The Entente Cordiale Challenge is an annual student competition held under the patronage of King Charles III and President Emmanuel Macron. Established in 2024 to mark the 120th anniversary of the 1904 Entente Cordiale, the cornerstone of modern Franco-British diplomatic relations, the initiative aims to strengthen academic and cultural ties between the United Kingdom and France.

Each year, teams of students from leading universities in both countries produce a 5,000-word policy report addressing a major global issue. The top ten teams from each nation are then invited to defend their proposals before an international jury.

The 2025-26 competition theme, Conflicts, Technologies, and World Security, attracted more than 700 students from 35 institutions, including the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, the London School of Economics, HEC Paris, Paris Dauphine, and Sciences Po.

“For me, space was what first drew me into my discipline,” Zhe Qian said. “The engineering of Falcon 9, Starship, and New Glenn sparked my interest in the intersection between technology, security, and policy, so this year’s topic was truly a godsend.”

“One of the most memorable moments came after the award ceremony in Paris. Stepping outside to see a sky full of stars felt like a fitting conclusion to a competition spent thinking about how to preserve the night sky for future generations.”

The finals took place on 8 April 2026 in Paris. The opening ceremony was held at Les Invalides and the École Militaire, with speakers including Lieutenant General Yann Gravêthe, Director of the Musée de l’Armée; General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea; Professor Christine Neau-Leduc, President of Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne; and Alice Rufo, Minister Delegate for the Armed Forces and Veterans’ Affairs.

Zhe Qian commented on the broader significance of the competition, saying, “NEW START expired earlier this year, and the Golden Dome programme is now active. Headlines on space policy increasingly point towards competition rather than cooperation. But the Entente Cordiale Challenge gave me cautious optimism. It was heartening to see that there are still people determined to steer the trajectory towards something better.”

Congratulations to Zhe Qian and Mateen on this outstanding achievement, and we wish the team every success as they prepare to present their work at Buckingham Palace!