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Smart ideas, international collaboration, and technology. The international competition-conference The Technology Olympiad Pilsen 2025 welcomed 74 students from four countries who, in the futuristic environment of the TechTower, showcased what modern teaching of technical and science subjects can look like.

For example, a large delegation from Katowice presented a series of didactic tools for preschool children – a model of a wind and water turbine, an interactive traffic intersection model, and a functional drawbridge model. “We are showing that technology has its place even in early childhood education – and children love it,” commented one of the Polish participants.

Students from a partner university in Patras, Greece, brought projects addressing serious topics such as cyberstalking, digital addiction, and the use of AI as a study guidance tool.

The local team from Plzeň presented a comprehensive project Arduino at School, which resulted in a freely available methodological publication for elementary school teachers. “The goal was to show that even primary schools can be a place where children encounter modern technologies in an understandable and playful way,” said team leader Libor Šmíd.

The competition took place in two main sections: specialized didactic work and multimedia & didactic outputs. Judges also awarded prizes in smaller subsections. First place in the multimedia section was awarded to the team behind Arduino at School and to Martin Valo for his automatic plant-growing system. Other award recipients included Anežka Policarová and Kamila Drbalová from Ústí nad Labem for their research on students’ manual skills, and Adam Novák with his project on using driving simulators in education.

“Creative approaches also stood out – for example, a student who presented a dress made from recycled paper, or two students from different countries who independently designed a smart flowerpot controlled by a microcontroller,” said Zuzana Pinkrová, head of the didactics section.

This year, the professional-didactic section had the highest number of participants in its history. Hana Obšilová won first place for her handbook on working with students with specific learning disorders. Zbyněk Fiala impressed with his steam generator, and Tobiáš Kubovič presented a teaching aid using Arduino. “Interesting projects also came from students from Poland and Slovakia – such as a model of Kepler’s telescope or a project titled Kingdom of Recycling,” added Jan Krotký, one of the main organizers of the event. The jury also recognized a wind turbine made from recycled materials and a cooling box created by Plzeň student Patrik Dimov.

In addition to medal placements, some students received special prizes – such as personal trainer certificates from Avalon Fitness or online conversation courses in Spanish and English.

The Olympiad didn’t end with the closing ceremony – on the second day, participants attended a workshop at the Robotics Center and toured exhibitions at the Techmania Science Center.

The 19th annual Technology Olympiad , organized by the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Technical Education at the Faculty of Education, University of West Bohemia, was held under the auspices of the Mayor of Plzeň Roman Zarzycký, university rector Miroslav Lávička, and faculty dean Pavel Mentlík. The goal was to connect students of science and technology-oriented teaching programs across Europe, allow them to share ideas, gain practical inspiration, and highlight new trends in education.

More information about the competition, the proceedings, and the official magazine are available on the official website: www.olympiadatechniky.cz. Photos from the event can be viewed in the faculty’s online gallery.