24 Hours for the climate: Welcome to the Climathon GZM competition
Until the 3rd of November, registration for the CLIMATHON GZM competition will take place at the Silesian University of Technology. The competition itself will take place on 5th – 6th of November this year. It is a 24-hour race of creativity taking place concurrently in over 100 cities around the world.
During the metropolitan event, participants will look for solutions on how, in the interests of climate protection, we can take care of clean air in the city. The authors of the best idea will receive a main prize of PLN 12 000. And above all, great emotions, and great satisfaction. The competition is addressed to students at all universities throughout Poland. No specialist knowledge or programming skills are needed.
According to the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection, air quality in Poland has improved compared to previous years. In Poland, however, we still have a problem with the so-called low emissions. When the temperature drops, pollutant emissions increase because we burn more to heat the rooms, while at the same time more pollution accumulates at low altitude. For this reason, sometimes extreme violations of the WHO standard regarding air quality occur. We are still breathing heavily polluted air and because of this, every year more than 40 000 people die prematurely in Poland. Breathing polluted air reduces the average life expectancy of a person by 1 year and 8 months. The greatest health costs due to air pollution are mainly borne by young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
How to ensure good air quality in the city? Solutions will be sought by participants of the sixth edition of the Climathon GZM.
What is Climathon?
This event is a 24-hour competition, during which participants, in cooperation with invited experts and mentors, work out proposals for solutions to protect the climate. During Climathon, every creative idea, which will propose an interesting and modern approach to topics related to global climate challenges, this year – with clean air in the city, has a chance to win.
Who is Climathon GZM for?
Anyone who has the status of a first and/or second-degree student, postgraduate students and doctoral studies of universities operating in Poland, conducted in any mode, can apply. It is enough to have an idea related to the topic “Clean Air in the City.” The organizers are not looking for complicated solutions, such as the development of an advanced mobile application or the installation of expensive devices. Even the simple educational concept of how to encourage ourselves and people from the immediate environment to change our daily habits in the care of air quality can win.
How can I apply to Climathon?
Just go to the GZM website and fill out the registration form with the necessary statements. Qualified persons will receive an e-mail confirmation of registration.
Registration
Registration for the event lasts until the 3rd of November 2025 metropoliagzm.pl/climathon-gzm-2025/
The rules of participation and the participant’s statement can be found under the text in the link: 24 Hours for the climate: Registration for the Climathon GZM - Metropolis GZM has started
What do you need to know?
To participate in Climathon, you do not need to have specialist knowledge related to air quality. All you need is an open mind and the desire to create non-standard ideas. During the event, participants will receive support from mentors and inspiration from experts.
In what formula will Climathon take place?
Climathon GZM will take place on the 5th and 6th of November 2025 at the Silesian University of Technology in the Centre for Climate and Environment Protection in Gliwice at 22B, Konarskiego Street.
What time will it take place?
Climathon starts on November 5th at 09:00 and ends on November 6th at 15:00.
What can you win?
For the most interesting ideas, prizes have been provided:
- The first prize is PLN 12 000
- The second prize is PLN 7 000
- The third prize is PLN 5 000
Every year, GZM focuses on cooperation with universities and students, on the activation of the academic environment, in particular young people in the fight against climate change by engaging in important areas of life from the ecological side.
