Smart Cities - EUROPE

Innovation serving the city and its citizens

For the third year in a row, Le Monde is kicking off its urban innovation competition. The Le Monde Smart Cities Awards are intended to promote the best urban transformation projects deserving to receive greater attention, so that others can follow their example, adapting it if necessary to their own context.

As a company, municipality, association, student, individual, perhaps you have considered or started implementing an original and effective solution for your urban environment. Le Monde invites you introduce your project and apply for one of the Le Monde Smart Cities awards.

Smart and sustainable cities are aimed at improving services and quality of living, resilience, environmental protection, cost-cutting, and deeper democracies; they foster effective integration of information technologies all the while fundamentally drawing inspiration from the expectations and participation of citizens.

Whether it applies to an islet, neighbourhood or entire city, your project must address the issues at stake in smart and sustainable cities.

The Le Monde Smart Cities Awards wish to commend not institutions, but concrete solutions currently in development. These solutions need to stand out for their originality, effectiveness and impact on the urban area, in one of the six following areas:

Why take part ?

In addition to the above awards, for which applications are open, the judging panel will award a Grand Prize and a Special Student Prize. The Grand Prize is not limited to any specific category: the judging panel will award it to the project that stands out most for its innovative approach. The Special Student Award, in partnership with the University of Lyon's Urban School, will be given to a project from any category by one or more students or 2016 graduates. For this Student Award, the project does not necessarily have to enter an operational phase, but must bring out a roadmap or a business plan.

Each award-winner will receive a €1,000 check, while the Grand Prize will carry an award of €2,000. Regarding the Student Special Award the winner will receive €1,500. Moreover, all winning projects will be written up in an article to be published on Le Monde's website.

Open to all individuals, private companies, public municipal associations or institutions, this competition offers the opportunity to participate at either the European or World level.

Does the adventure sound enticing? Wait no longer, go to the Modalities for more information!