COLOURful Impact: A Student-Led Hackathon for Shaping Cities
From 26 to 28 June 2025, the city of Paderborn hosted the first-ever COLOURS hackathon led by students, under the title “COLOURful Impact: Shape Your City.” The event took place at the Akzelerator (Garage33) and brought together students and staff from all nine COLOURS partner universities. Over the course of three days, 58 people actively participated in the event.
This hackathon was more than just a competition — it was a proof of concept: a team of ten students from five COLOURS partner universities independently designed, led, and organised the entire event. These students worked together for several months to create a space where ideas could flourish across disciplines and cultures.
Under the theme “Shape Your City,” the hackathon focused on challenges in urban planning — including demographic change, social inclusion, civic engagement, and digital tools such as the “digital twin” developed by the Smart City Team of Paderborn. Participants were divided into six teams, each addressing one of the six proposed challenges — ranging from real-time urban problem-solving and mobility to gamified community-building. Teams were formed in advance based on participants’ preferences and adjusted on-site as needed.
Six mentors supported the event — including members from Kristianstad University and UniverCity Bochum — and guided the teams throughout their project work. The final jury included, among others, members of the Smart City Team of Paderborn, ensuring a close connection to local urban development.
The hackathon had two main outcomes:
- It demonstrated that students are capable of successfully organising and implementing a large-scale international event — a model that can be adapted by other COLOURS universities.
- It sparked interest and enthusiasm from the city of Paderborn, which expressed a willingness to consider the submitted projects in its urban development strategies.
Participants left the hackathon feeling inspired. One key insight they shared was the belief that technology should reconnect people with real life — rather than isolating them in digital alternatives. Many expressed a desire to continue similar initiatives at their home universities and to stay connected with COLOURS. For them, the event was a valuable opportunity to reflect on teamwork, strengthen their communication in English, and transform diverse ideas and cultural perspectives into concrete solutions.
