#CosmicMystery: Win a trip to Euclid mission control

ENTRY FORM 
_{Full rules and how to enter below} 

You and everything that is on this planet, our entire Solar System, as well as billions of stars and galaxies out there are made from ‘normal matter’. But did you know that all of that makes up only 5% of the entire Universe?

The other 95% consists of two mysterious components we hardly know anything about: dark matter and dark energy, together referred to as the dark Universe – a cosmic mystery that ESA’s Euclid mission is getting ready to investigate.

It's hard to grasp just how much of the Universe remains a mystery. That's why we're calling for your help.

How to enter ESA's #CosmicMystery contest

What do you have to do?

Get creative and visualise the components of the Universe as we know them today:

• 5% (normal matter) 
• About 25% (dark matter) 
• About 70% (dark energy) 

You could choose to bake a cake, cross stitch, design a fabric, paint, draw, dance or anything else that comes to mind that symbolises these proportions 5-25-70 and helps others understand just how much of the Universe we know and don’t know.

You can find some inspiration by reading about Euclid at esa.int/euclid

What’s in it for you?

The Euclid spacecraft will launch from Florida, USA, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, no earlier than July. Minutes after liftoff and separation from the launcher, the ESA team at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt will take control of the spacecraft, which will then journey 1.5 million km from Earth.

Enter the competition for a chance to win a trip to the Euclid launch activities in Darmstadt, Germany, sharing the tension and excitement with the teams that have built and will operate this mission. From the heart of European space operations you will witness the nerve-racking launch, separation from the launcher and Euclid’s first call back home.

One overall winner will be invited to Darmstadt, while nine runners-up will receive an ESA goody bag.

How do you apply?

Read the competition rules below and submit your entry by 28 May by taking two actions:

1. Share your creation on a social media channel of your choice using the hashtag #CosmicMystery and explain to your community how you depicted each of the three proportions 5-25-70 and what they represent. 
2. Enter the URL to your social post (make sure your posts are public!) in the entry form here so that we can find your entry and contact you if you are a winner.

Contest rules

Please read the full terms and conditions here and privacy notice here

• One entry per person 
• You must be over 18 to enter (family/group entries are allowed but the person posting the entry must be over 18, and the top prize is only valid for adults over 18) 
• Entries are open from 8 May 2023 until midnight CEST on 28 May 2023 
• Entries should first be posted on a social media channel of your choice, with a link to the post submitted at the competition entry form (make sure your account is public, so that we can see your creation) 
• Entries should take the form of either a photo or video of your assembled creation, together with a brief description of how you represented each of the three proportions: 5% normal matter, about 25% dark matter and about 70% dark energy 
• Only adults over 18 can be in images/videos. Anyone in the image/video must have given their consent 
• In order to be considered for the winning entries you must submit your entry via the form, confirming your agreement with the privacy notice 
• The competition is open to nationals of ESA Member, Cooperating and Associate States (EXCEPT staff of ESA, its suppliers, its contractors, and members of the immediate families or households) 
• Entries must not have inappropriate content, which is considered libellous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, abusive, in violation of copyright laws or unacceptable. If you are submitting a drink, it must not contain any alcohol. Users shall remain solely responsible for their content. You will be disqualified if your content is considered inappropriate in any way by the judges. 
• There will be one overall winner and up to nine runners up 
• The winner and runners up will be selected and informed in the first week of June 
• The runners up will receive a small gift bag with ESA goodies. These will be shipped after the end of the competition period 
• The names, geolocation, and submissions of any participant may be shared in an article published on esa.int/euclid and associated social media promotion. You can review and confirm your agreement with the privacy notice via the entry form. ESA may publish your submission on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and LinkedIn. By entering the competition, you acknowledge you are aware of the existence of potential risk that personal data is shared by these social media platforms to companies in countries without an adequate level of protection. 
• Prizes are non-negotiable. There is no cash or other alternative prize for either the runners up or overall winner. 
• ESA will make all reasonable efforts to contact the winners of the contest but does not accept any responsibility if the winner does not respond or is not able to receive the prize. ESA will not be responsible for entries that are lost, for example as a result of any equipment failure, technical malfunction, systems, satellite, network, server, computer hardware or software failure of any kind even if occurring on the side of ESA. 
• Entries will be judged by the ESA Euclid Social Media working group, including Euclid mission experts, editors specialising in Euclid science, operations and launchers, and social media managers from ESA’s Communication Department. The panel’s decision is final and no correspondence shall be entered into to discuss the final winner. 
• If you have any questions, please ask us via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest, or by using the #CosmicMystery hashtag on Twitter. 
• In addition to the rules outlined here, participants also agree to abide by the terms and conditions of the social channels in which they enter. Please also see ESA’s privacy notice for social media: https://www.esa.int/Services/ESA_Privacy_Notice_ESA_social_media

What to expect if you win the top prize:

• You will be invited to join the launch activities in Darmstadt, Germany, and will be asked to confirm your attendance as soon as possible. (The top winner must be age 18 or above). The event will be hosted at ESA’s Space Operations Centre (ESOC) on the day of the launch. There will be a dedicated programme announced nearer the time. 
• You will book your own travel and accommodation and you will be refunded the cost up to 1000 Euros after the event (not on the day), upon presentation of travel and/or accommodation booking receipts. You will be asked to provide your bank account details to receive the reimbursement. 
• You will need a valid passport to enter the ESA establishment. 
• The launch activities will happen no earlier than July. Launch dates are dynamic, and may change even at the last minute. Furthermore, in case of COVID-19 pandemic concerns, we may need to reduce or cancel the activities at short notice. We recommend making flexible travel arrangements, as ESA cannot accept any liability for refunds. See esa.int/euclid for the latest updates. 

Disclaimer: The rules may be updated or added to without notice, reflecting any questions we receive to clarify rules. Dates may change due to unforeseen events that are out of our control. The competition is run on a best-effort basis.