“Every year, we see the energy and creativity with which students approach the search for solutions for the cities of the future. This year, we were particularly pleased by their ability to combine technical thinking with visual imagination. Many of the projects presented ideas that have the potential to be implemented in real urban environments,” said jury member Professor Dagmar Juchelková from FEI.
The jury appreciated the wide range of topics – from energy and mobility to digital applications and environmental solutions. 1st place: Tereza Pšeničková, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava – “Energy in Motion: Ostrava on a Green Wave – Smart Energy Walk”, a project that motivates residents to engage in healthy physical activity while saving energy. 2nd place: Tobiáš Volek, Grammar and Art School Šlapanice – “SmartCraft – a Village Built of Blocks, Ideas and Innovation”, demonstrating how a smart city can emerge through creative design. 3rd place: Jiří Nedvěd, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem – “SMART PARKING”, offering a concrete solution to overloaded urban transport.
Special Awards: Really Good – Secondary Industrial School, Business Academy and Language School Frýdek-Místek, Filip Nehudek, Nela Hojdyszová International Award – Hochschule Meißen, Anna Lorenz Junior University – Vojtěch Martínek Primary School Brušperk, Karel Klesnil Creative Award – Jan Evangelista Purkyně University (UJEP), Jan Láska Creative Award – Secondary Industrial School, Business Academy and Language School Frýdek-Místek, Sofie Matějová
Other original ideas such as “Smart Naturelink Project”, “SMART Solutions”, “Assistant Vehicle”, “Barrier-Free Path – An App Not Only for the Visually Impaired”, “City in Your Pocket”, “Tomorrow’s Breath”, “Smart Public Lighting”, “Smart City – When Every Second Counts”, “QR Guide to Czech Cities”, “Winter Grilling”, “City of Tomorrow” and many others demonstrate that building smart cities is not only the domain of experts, but also of students who bring fresh ideas and practical concepts that can inspire cities, companies and university projects.
The NextGen City competition is not a one-time event, but a platform where proposals with real impact can emerge. Students’ creations can be further developed in the form of student projects or final theses, pilot testing in cities and municipalities, collaboration with universities and research centres, involvement in Junior University, FabLab or Smart Academy programmes, presentations at smart city conferences, additional mentoring or prototype development.
This year’s edition, focused on creative visualisation, confirmed the enormous potential of the younger generation. The jury, led by Dagmar Juchelková, Michael Beckmann, Rut Bízková and Tomáš Hüner, in cooperation with TGA Holding, Deloitte, KPMG, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and journalist Ivana Gračková, recognised not only the quality of the projects but also the courage to present bold visions of cities of the future. The competition was held as part of the CESMOD project supported by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TAČR).