This year, THU joined forces with Emerge to launch a global call for ideas that reimagine cities through creativity. If you could write a letter to a city, what would you say? And what would you create to bring awareness to it? Your idea doesn’t have to be finished or perfect. It just has to start with a letter that begins with “Dear Cities,”. The best part? If you don’t want to join the challenge alone, you can apply in a team of up to four people, and creatives from any field are welcome. 

Not sure where to start? Think about all the cities you’ve lived in and visited. What would you tell them? Maybe you’d like to ask for more green spaces, and create an installation that makes people feel what’s missing when nature disappears; or a stronger sense of community where neighbors actually talk to each other and design a project that inspires people to come together. Or maybe you could write about art and culture as the beating heart of a place; or smarter ways to move, using technology and mobility to build better cities. The possibilities are endless, and if your idea doesn’t fit any of these, even better. There’s no limit to what you can imagine. 

As for the prizes, the five finalists will get mentorships to develop their projects and, after a pitch, the three winning ideas will be selected to receive a prize money of 15.000€ each and a public exhibition of the project in Portugal (with travel expenses covered), at M-ODU during the second quarter of 2027, as part of a public exhibition dedicated to the challenge outcomes. During the exhibition opening, a series of talks and panel discussions will be organized, featuring the winning teams. These sessions are also an opportunity for the teams to present their projects, share insights from the process, and engage with industry professionals and the public.

Why would a construction giant partner up with us, and why does it make sense?

Let’s be honest: this is not a partnership anyone had on their bingo card. But we love all-things-unpredictable, and we know you do too. 

Emerge is the innovation arm of Mota-engil, a company that builds (you guessed it) cities and wants to rethink how people live in them, with infrastructures that are circular, regenerative and centered on people. 

You can’t dream and build something like this with engineering alone. You need something else. A missing piece that can make it all come together: creatives and their ideas. This is a call for people who imagine things nobody has asked for yet: a call for the THU Tribe that all creators, artists, designers, writers, technologists, troublemakers and changemakers can answer. 

Get your ideas out of the notebook and into the real world. 

Applications are open until 31 January 2027. Everything you need is here.