The United Nations Citiverse Challenge calls on students and startups to develop innovative solutions leveraging digital public infrastructure to tackle global urban challenges.
Co-organized by ITU, UNICC, WIPO, FAO, UNICEF, the World Bank Group, UN Tourism, UNECE, and key city partners, the challenge focuses on three critical themes:
- Access to public services: improving digital inclusion and efficiency in urban governance.
- Sustainability and resilience: leveraging AI, digital twins, and open-source solutions for smart, climate-resilient cities.
- Tourism and digital culture: exploring metaverse-driven experiences to transform urban tourism.
Registration for the challenge is now open, and participants must submit their proposals by March 19, 2025, for students and April 9, 2025, for startups. Aligned with the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact, the challenge empowers participants to shape equitable and sustainable digital cities.
Winners in both the youth and startup categories will be awarded CHF 5,000 in prizes. The youth category winners will be celebrated during the UN Virtual Worlds Day on June 11-12, 2025, in Turin, Italy, while the startup category winners will be honored at the Valencia Digital Summit in October 2025, in Valencia, Spain.
Additionally, winners will receive global recognition, collaboration opportunities with UN agencies, and access to mentoring sessions focused on intellectual property and commercialization.
For further details about the UN Citiverse Challenge, including the timeline, format, and proposed problem statements, visit the UN Citiverse Challenge webpage or check TSB Circular 21
For more information contact: Contact Virtual Worlds at virtualworlds(at)itu.int.
Source: https://www.itu.int/metaverse/virtual-worlds/1st-un-citiverse-challenge/