European recognition for a Dutch XR-education program

London, November 19th, 2020 – ESA astronaut André Kuipers’ SpaceBuzz won four prizes during the 10^th annual international Lovie Awards presentation: Two Jury Lovie Awards – Best Narrative experience and Virtual Reality – and two People’s Lovie Awards from public votes. The prestigious Lovie Awards are pan-European prizes awarded annually to the best digital applications in Europe by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Science (IADAS). SpaceBuzz competed against 1000 entries from 30 countries. Organizations such as IKEA, The Economist, KLM, the Ocean Cleanup and The Guardian were among the entrants. 

SpaceBuzz is an XR-education program with the mission to inspire 100 million children globally with the perspective of astronauts: looking down to Earth from space. By making them aware of the beauty and vulnerability of our planet, SpaceBuzz inspires them to become ambassadors of planet Earth. SpaceBuzz uses the narrative and experiential power of the latest immersive technologies. As part of the education program, a 15-meter SpaceBuzz rocket vehicle will visit the school of participating children. On board, they will travel to space in VR, ‘experiencing Planet Earth’ through the eyes of an astronaut. Astronaut André Kuipers, co-founder and ambassador of SpaceBuzz, responded enthusiastically to winning four Lovie Awards. “This is a wonderful compliment for our unique team of astronauts, educators, scientists and XR-experts who have joined forces.”

SpaceBuzz is currently rolling out internationally, starting in France, Italy and Hungary. “We are proud of this international recognition for SpaceBuzz,” says Janine Geijsen, the SpaceBuzz director. “Immersive technology is ideally suited to give children a chance to learn through their very own ‘experiences’. It is great that our approach is seen and recognized internationally”.

Note to the editors
SpaceBuzz is an educational non-profit start-up and has a global mission. Its ‘experiential learning’ program enables children to feel as if they are following in the footsteps of astronauts. The program is centered on teaching children about space, technology (STEAM) and planet Earth, using both VR, AR and 4D technology (XR technology). SpaceBuzz was developed in the Netherlands but is scalable and adaptable for global expansion. In 2021, it will be introduced in France, Italy, and Hungary. SpaceBuzz has won several international prizes, including two Global Webby Awards. There is a waiting list for schools in the Netherlands until the end of 2021. In collaboration with Prof. Dr. Max Louwerse of Tilburg University (Dept. Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Psychology) a scientific research program has been set up to investigate the impact of our educational XR approach on learning and mindset of participating pupils. SpaceBuzz also collaborates with MediaMonks, National Geographic and WNF. For more information go to: www.spacebuzz.earth

If you would like further details about the SpaceBuzz program, please contact Janine Geijsen: tel. +31 654605733 or by email pr@spacebuzz.earth

Virtual Reality allows us to develop new and effective ways of teaching children about Space, Earth and Technology (STEM). In order to validate and optimize our educational program, SpaceBuzz collaborates with leading scientists, i.e Prof. Dr. Max Louwerse Tilburg University, and kickstarted an international scientific research program on the effectiveness of VR-enabled learning and the role that virtual humans can play in personalizing learning.