Build a Smart City Competition 2025

Introduction

Eligibility

Registration

Online Registration Form

Projects

Prizes

Judging Criteria

Key Dates

Adverse Weather Arrangement

Enquiry

Introduction

The Faculty of Construction and Environment invites secondary school students to participate in the "Build a Smart City Competition 2025". This exciting opportunity encourages students to develop innovative solutions for transforming Hong Kong into a Smart City through workshops, demonstrations, lab visits, and discussions with esteemed researchers and members from our four departments, deepening your understanding of Smart City concepts while contributing to meaningful solutions. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this transformative experience!

This competition comprises two parts:

Part I: 2-day Workshop (28 Jun & 5 July 2025)

All participants will engage in a 2-day workshop, immersing yourselves in a journey to explore the Smart City concepts. During this workshop, participants will be grouped according to the assigned projects, where you will participate in targeted sessions organised on the assigned project.

Part II: Presentation Day (22 August 2025)

Following the workshop, participating teams will be given approximately 7 weeks to develop your projects. This phase will encourage teams to innovate and collaborate effectively. The presentation day will be held on 22 August 2025. Participants will have the freedom to choose the preferred presentation format.
_{Remarks: Participants must attend all sessions of the competition (including the 2-day Workshop and Presentation Day) in person.}

Eligibility

S.4 - S.5 / Grade 10-11/ Year 11-12 students in 2024/25 academic year
Each participating team should consist of 3 - 5 students endorsed by their secondary school
Each team is welcome to engage a teacher advisor from the respective secondary school

Registration

Participants are required to complete the online registration form, which must be endorsed by your secondary school, between 5 March to 18 April 2025.
The form must include the name of the secondary school, details of the participating students, and contact information of the secondary school teacher.
A confirmation email with the application result will be sent on 6 June 2025.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University reserves the right to accept registration from teams for participating in the Build a Smart City Competition 2025. The decision of the Faculty of Construction and Environment shall be final and binding on all parties concerned.

Projects

Each team will be assigned to ONE project only. Please prioritise the four projects in your application form; assignment will be based on your ranked preference. The Faculty will try to assign teams to their first or second choice. Due to the capacity of each project, drawing lots may be used to decide on the grouping arrangement.

Project Description

The "Greening the Northern Metropolis" initiative is designated to equip future designers, architects, urban planners, and engineers with the skills to create sustainable and functional built environments. This project emphasises energy efficiency, carbon reduction, and the integration of natural elements, inspiring participants to advocate for green building and sustainable urban design.

A central task involves students designing a recycling centre for recyclable materials in the northern metropolitan region. This project challenges them to optimise land use while fostering economic and social development without compromising environmental protection. Participants are encouraged to think creatively and incorporate eco-friendly architectural designs, considering vital environmental measures such as energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, greenery, and carbon and waste reduction.

Highlight of the 2-day Workshop

Explore cutting-edge green innovation technologies for safe environments
Visit Kwu Tung North and Fanling North New Development Areas Community Liaison Centre

Project Description

Hong Kong is currently facing the dual challenges of "double ageing" marked by an increasing number of aged buildings alongside a growing ageing population. To create a liveable environment, urban renewal has become essential. This process presents both challenges and opportunities, particularly through the application of new technologies that can identify community needs and offer innovative solutions.

In this project, participants will work in groups to discover how innovative urban renewal strategies are breathing new life into the old neighbourhoods of To Kwa Wan. They will embark on a field trip to To Kwa Wan, a mixed residential and commercial area in the Kowloon City District, where they will engage their senses—sight, hearing, smell, and touch—during the visit and through on-site presentations by planning professionals. This area is part of a district-wide urban renewal plan, providing participants with a unique opportunity to observe current changes and reflect on future progress.

Highlight of the 2-day Workshop

Visit CAVE and 3D printing facilities
Site visit and sharing by planning professionals

Project Description

This project invites students to contribute to the sustainable development and carbon neutrality goals at PolyU or their own secondary schools. Participants will work in teams to develop innovative solutions to tackle climate change problems, such as reducing campus waste, conserving resources and incorporating green technologies to achieve environmental sustainability. This competition is a fast-paced simulation of a real-world project, it emphasises teamwork and collaboration, with guidance from PolyU professors and industry mentors.

Participants are to work together to provide a set of deliverables within a short timeframe. Utilising their theoretical knowledge, participants will gain first-hand experience to develop their critical thinking, build new competencies and push themselves out of their comfort zone, equipping themselves with essential skills for their future careers. Key considerations for developing solutions include innovation, user engagement, practicality, feasibility, scalability, and inclusivity. Participants will be encouraged to think critically about the impact of their solutions on both local and global environmental challenges.

Highlight of the 2-day Workshop

Civil and environmental engineering laboratory visit
Technical sharing by mentors and inspiring lecture to showcase past awarded projects of the Carbon Neutral Campus Hackathon

Project Description

Spatial data is a vital resource that provides essential geographic information about the Earth's features, supporting a wide range of Smart City applications. These applications include urban planning, transportation and mobility, resource management, environmental monitoring, emergency response, water and waste management, public health, and economic development. Government departments, such as the Lands Department, Transport Department and Planning Department, heavily rely on this data to inform their decision-making processes.

This project invites participants to develop user-friendly solutions that address real-world urban problems in Hong Kong using open-source software (e.g., QGIS) and open spatial data (e.g., CSDI Portal). Participants will explore innovative ways to utilise geospatial data, inspiring practical solutions that contribute to more efficient, sustainable, and liveable cities.

Highlight of the 2-day Workshop

Introduction of Smart City and 3D Mapping in Hong Kong
Hands-on workshop on problem solving using CSDI data with tour to Lands Department of HKSAR

Prizes

Champion, First Runner-Up, Second Runner-Up and Merit Award(s) will be chosen for EACH project.

Champion	Cash Prize HK$15,000
First Runner-Up	Cash Prize HK$11,000
Second Runner-Up	Cash Prize HK$7,000
Merit*	Cash Prize HK$3,000

^{* Up to 3 Merit Awards will be selected for each project}

Judging Criteria

Innovation	20%
Feasibility	20%
Relevancy	20%
Impact	10%
Overall Presentation	30%

Key Dates

5 March 2025	Open for Applications
18 April 2025	Application Deadline
6 June 2025	Confirmation of Successful Applications
28 June & 5 July 2025	2-day Workshop
22 August 2025	Presentation Day
October 2025 (Info Day)	Award Presentation Ceremony

Adverse Weather Arrangement

The Workshop and/or the Presentation Day will be rescheduled without prior notice in case of inclement weather i.e., Tropical Cyclone Signal No.8 or above; and/or the Red/Black Rainstorm Signal as announced by the Education Bureau by 7:00 a.m. on any event day. In the event of a rescheduling, updated arrangements will be communicated via email and posted on the competition website in a timely manner.

The contingency dates are as follows:

Workshop	12 July 2025 (Saturday) (for 28 June workshop) 19 July 2025 (Saturday) (for 5 July workshop)
Presentation Day	25 August 2025 (Monday)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University reserves the right to change or cancel any of the programmes associated with the Build a Smart City Competition 2025 in the event of adverse weather conditions. The decision made by the Faculty of Construction and Environment shall be final and binding on all parties involved.

Enquiry

Telephone:	3400 8496
Email:	fce.promotion@polyu.edu.hk

Supporting Organisations