Vienna's Mini-Brick Competition builds creativity and future skills in young students
Building the Cities of Tomorrow Starts with Inspiring Children Today
The cities of the future need buildings that are fit for what lies ahead. But designing them doesn't begin in architects' studios or on construction sites—it starts much earlier, with children. Fostering a passion for building means sparking curiosity, strengthening creative thinking, and developing an understanding of how spaces take shape—and what we can achieve with our own hands. Those who grasp early how cities function and how they can be shaped will later help create livable, resilient, and future-ready urban spaces.
Projects like the Mini-Brick Competition do exactly that—engaging children and young people in schools. Organized by the Vienna State Guild of Builders (Landesinnung Bau Wien), the "Mini-Brick Challenge" aims to introduce elementary and middle school students to the world of construction in a playful way while nurturing craftsmanship talents from a young age. This year marked the competition's second edition. Each participating school received a kit containing: 768 full mini-bricks, 112 half mini-bricks, 10 plastic trowels, wooden building blocks, a baseplate, mortar, and mixing trays.
Then came the creative part: putting their heads together to design a cool building. Under the motto "Build Your Future," the children were free to let their imaginations run wild.
"With our project, we wanted to show what we can achieve as a team when we stick together. Our school is colorful and diverse—and we wanted our creation to reflect that. Inspired by vertical gardening and with sustainability in mind, we tried to combine craftsmanship with creativity. Step by step, we worked toward our goal, and we're proud of what we've built," explained students from Hörnesgasse Middle School, which took second place.
The winners (see table) were visited in their schools on April 13, 14, and 16, 2026, where representatives from the Vienna State Guild of Builders and the Vienna Apprenticeship Expert Team presented the awards.
First, website visitors cast their votes for their favorites before a specialist jury from the Guild made the final selections. The exceptionally high quality of this year's entries led to a unique outcome: two first-place and two third-place winners (due to tied jury scores). An additional special prize for the neatest work was awarded in each school category (elementary and middle school). Every winning class received a material voucher worth up to €500 for workshop and building supplies for their school.
Nicole Mörner, an apprenticeship expert, remarked: "It's incredible to see the creativity and diversity of structures that emerge when children are given the right materials and the freedom to design. The excitement at the awards ceremony—the shining eyes, the pride in their creations, and the joy of being recognized—shows just how valuable this project is for the kids."
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