The main purpose of PlayEnergy, a competition promoted by Enel that wants to involve the younger generations in a stimulating and at the same time fun process that analyses and highlights the pillars of a circular city, is to bring young people closer to circular economy and drive their creativity through the values of sustainability, innovation and a conscious use of energy. So far there has been great interest, with participants from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Greece, Italy and Peru; with this in mind, it will even be possible to increase the success of the first edition, conducted entirely online, which involved about 10.000 subjects from Brazil, Greece and Italy. On the occasion of the 2019/2020 edition, over 100 young people participated in the digital hackathon on a virtual and interactive platform to win the final prize money, while this year, in addition to the final prize, there are numerous awards up for grabs every month. Not only that: the finalists and winners of the competition will have a special experience at the Campus Party. The competition is aimed at young people between the ages of 14 and 20, but teachers* can also play an active role in the project.
This year’s initiative, which has the circular city as its pivotal theme, kicked off in April and lasts 7 months. Each month, in fact, a new challenge** is launched with different prizes that can be won by the participating teams (which can be formed from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 3 members). As stated by the organisers, teams can only win once during the 7 challenges and the first 7 teams are awarded € 1000 for each member and the opportunity to participate in the final Campus Party hackathon in January 2022; the winners of the hackathon (3 teams or 9 individuals) also get the final prize of € 1000. What are the key themes of the challenges? In April Prioritise regenerative resources, in May Design for the future, in June Use waste as a resource, in July Preserve & extend what’s already made, in August Incorporate digital technology, in September Rethink business model, in October Collaborate to create joint value. “Every month – reads the official website – a new challenge is proposed, and remember: you can still complete your journey to discover the circular city even if you register during the competition”. The portal also specifies how to ‘climb the rankings’: “From the moment you sign up you can already start earning points: you get 10 points if you share on social media the circular city poster that appears on registration, you get up to 30 if you involve friends, you get 100 by uploading your project and inviting friends to vote for it, you get up to 150 – it concludes – by playing every day and trying to overcome the challenges”.
Please click here to register for the competition.
