In September 2022, the participants met in Paris for the Final Round of the Competition. The World Finals were held between George Washington University, on behalf of the Applicant, and the University of Leiden, on behalf of the Respondent on Tuesday, September 20, 2022.
The Finals were judged by three jurists on the International Court of Justice, Judge Xue Hanquin, Judge Peter Tomka (President) and Judge Georg Nolte. At the conclusion of the pleading and final deliberations, the judging panel decided the winning team was the University of Leiden and the best oralist was Evan Matsuda, from George Washington University
The 30th Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition featured 92 teams across the globe arguing the case of Proclivia vs Asteria concerning mega-constellations, autonomous space operations and freedom of scientific investigation. The Problem, authored by Steven Freeland and Alexander Soucek, was inspired by the successes of the ‘NewSpace’ wave This was the first Latin America regional competition, which featured six teams from Brazil, Peru, Chile, Mexico and Colombia.
Other regional competitions included 38 teams in Asia-Pacific, 23 in Europe, 18 in North America, and seven in Africa. All told, 92 teams competed in the 30th Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition. Conducting the preliminary and semi-final rounds among the champions of each region was challenging, but ESA and ECSL stepped in to offer their virtual platform After a preliminary round and two semi-final rounds, the Final match was between the National Law School of India University, Bangalore (AP), and the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple (EU).
The Finals were judged by three Judges of the International Court of Justice: His Excellency Judge Kirill Gevorgian, His Excellency Judge Peter Tomka, who served as President of the panel, and His Excellency Judge Georg Nolte At the conclusion of the pleading and final deliberations, the judging panel announced the winning team was The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple and the best oralist was Ms. Rhea Prasad, from the National Law School of India University.
The virtual Award Ceremony honored the Winning Team with a presentation of the Manfred Lachs trophy, the Lee Love cash prize, and a Plaque and Certificates. The Runner-up team was honored with a commemorative Plaque and Certificates. The Best Oralist was presented with the Sterns and Tennen cash award, a trophy and Certificate. The Eilene Galloway Award for the Best Memorial was presented to the National Law School of India University. Winners of the other regional rounds were also recognized.