A total of 900 students from 75 universities participated in the “Design a Sustainable Future” competition with 585 projects prepared under the theme “Self-Sufficient Efficient Living Spaces.” The award ceremony and the “From Today to a Sustainable Future” webinar of the 6th Design a Sustainable Future Competition, organized by Rönesans Holding, highlighted concepts such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, inclusivity, and the future.
According to Rönesans Holding, the award ceremony and webinar hosted talks by TABİT Founder & Vodafone Smart Village Founder Tülin Akın, Prof. Dr. Özgür Demirtaş, Ufuk Tarhan, and İstem D. Akalp, Mert Fırat, Uygar Özesmi from Ashoka Turkey. At the opening of the ceremony, Rönesans Holding Chairperson İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp noted that the winning team consisted of five young women architects, emphasizing:
“Ensuring women have a voice in shaping the future will play a key role in overcoming current challenges and looking to the future with hope. Maximizing women’s employment across education, architecture, and all fields is our social responsibility to make our future sustainable.”
“Prioritize Embracing Hybrid Living”
TABİT Smart Agriculture Technologies AŞ Founder Tülin Akın shared a story so impactful that it spanned from a single-page website to guiding technological agriculture in the Algerian deserts. In the session “How Will the Hybrid Future Come?”, futurist Ufuk Tarhan advised young participants on sustaining a presence in the future and business world, stressing that radical changes cannot happen all at once and that embracing hybrid living is crucial. Tarhan explained that through a hybrid lifestyle, individuals can maintain traditional practices while simultaneously implementing future-oriented actions. He added:
“We live in a time where we must learn independently, think critically on our own (autodidacticism), and take responsibility. Whatever field you dedicate yourself to, remember that achieving mastery often requires learning beyond the given curriculum and working very hard.”
900 Students Participated with 585 Group Projects
Chairperson Kayaalp emphasized the importance of sustainable development across environmental, economic, and social dimensions. She said:
“Through our quality standards, technology, customer focus, and employee satisfaction, we lead change and development in our sector. As a leading player and role model, we aim to cultivate the next generation of talents with a sustainability mindset. Over the past six years, we have reached over 100,000 university students through promotional events, training, seminars, and competition applications. This year, 900 students from 75 universities participated with 585 group projects. Each idea contained incredible details, all using the theme of sustainability to shape the future. We carefully selected winners across 10 categories, and we congratulate all participating students, especially the 28 creative winners.”
“Technology at the Core of Sustainability”
The event continued with talks by future visionaries. Prof. Dr. Özgür Demirtaş, in his talk “Sustainable Future: Economy and New Trends”, highlighted that technology forms the foundation of sustainability, and art is at the heart of technology, urging young people to engage closely with both to have an influential role in the future. He also emphasized that achieving sustainability in the economy requires correct decision-making, proper feasibility studies, merit, and transparency for companies.
In a panel moderated by Ashoka Turkey Co-Director İstem D. Akalp, Mert Fırat (Founder of İhtiyaç Haritası), Uygar Özesmi (Founder of Good4Trust), and Tülin Akın (Founder of TABİT Smart Agriculture Technologies AŞ) shared their inspiring social entrepreneurship stories with young participants. The panel highlighted the importance of using resources wisely to ensure a sustainable future, emphasizing that everyone can contribute to sustainability in their own domain.