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Seven student teams from the Plzeň and Karlovy Vary regions gathered in Cheb during the second week of October for the Karlovy Vary Region Open Data Hackathon. From Friday to Saturday, they spent 24 hours exploring ways to use open data for public benefit. The competition was organized by the Karlovy Vary Regional Innovation Center and the Faculty of Economics and Faculty of Applied Sciences of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (UWB). Students from the host university also took part. The jury was most impressed by a project developed by a team from UWB’s Faculty of Economics (FEK) and Unicorn University (UN) in Prague.

The winning team designed an app focused on making healthcare services easier to find. Tobiáš Horváth from FEK and Vojtěch Aloy from UN demonstrated how open data can benefit people, especially seniors. The jury assessed five criteria: the use of open data, creativity and originality, quality of execution, presentation, and, above all, the benefits for residents or the regional authority. Next year, both winners will represent the Karlovy Vary Region at the national round of the Public Administration Hackathon, organized by the Supreme Audit Office in Prague.

Other UWB students also achieved success. The five-member FAVoriti team from the Faculty of Applied Sciences took third place. Their project turns exploring the Karlovy Vary Region into a geographical game. Using data on castles, ruins, and other points of interest, the students developed a concept that encourages players not only to discover the region virtually but, above all, to visit it in person.

“This was our first hackathon in the Karlovy Vary Region and our first with this particular team, which was put together on the initiative of our colleague from the Department of Mathematics. We liked having fewer teams and a friendlier, more relaxed atmosphere,” said Daniel Vodička from the FAVoriti team, comparing the event in Cheb with his previous experience at the same competition in the Plzeň Region. “We ran on caffeine all day and night, and around one in the morning we even went for a run around Cheb,” the student added.

The teams began work at 5 p.m. on Friday and completed their projects at the same time on Saturday. During those 24 hours, they developed applications and visualizations designed to make information easier to navigate or address specific needs of residents and visitors. The hackathon had two categories: one for secondary school students and another for university and higher vocational school students. Ideas included ZÁPAD GO, an app for exploring the Karlovy Vary Region by collecting virtual tourist stamps, and an app designed to help students choose a secondary school.

“Although the Karlovy Vary Region is the smallest in the Czech Republic in terms of population, the students’ ideas and proposed solutions show just how much potential and promise it has. We are delighted to have been part of this event and are already looking forward to the next edition,” said jury member Jiří Kutlák, Vice-Dean for External Relations and Communication at UWB’s Faculty of Economics in Pilsen. Lecturers from the faculty and other experts advised the teams throughout the competition, helping them develop their ideas. After 24 hours of intensive work, the students left with not only their project results but also valuable experience in teamwork, problem-solving under time pressure, turning ideas into practical solutions, and receiving feedback from experts.

The hackathon aims to transform publicly available open data into something useful. The Karlovy Vary Region publishes information on leisure activities and tourism, public administration, education and services for residents on the DATA ZÁPAD portal. This data can be analyzed, combined and used to create new digital tools. The Plzeň Region organizes a similar competition. The Plzeň Region Open Data Conference and Hackathon 2026 will begin on Friday, 13 November, at Sušice Grammar School.