On 28 October, the final of the student competition “Creative Intellectual 2026”, organised by the Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia (LPO), was held at Startup House Riga 2.0. Nine teams from educational institutions across Latvia presented AI-assisted digital solutions designed to help young people learn about intellectual property in a more engaging way.
First place was awarded to the team from Liepāja State Technical School for “PostPass”, a prototype AI assistant designed to review videos before publication. Its purpose is to help content creators comply with copyright requirements by explaining what content may be used, what copyright restrictions must be taken into account, and what issues should be considered before publishing a video.
Second place went to the team from Ogre Technical School for their prototype digital educational solution, “Mine. Mine?! Mine”, which combines an interactive game with a practical guide to help users understand industrial property issues.
Third place was awarded to the team from Druva Secondary School for “CTRL + C / CTRL + V”, a prototype online escape-room-style game designed to help users gain an understanding of intellectual property rights interactively.
“Young people learn most effectively when knowledge is presented in an engaging and comprehensible way, and intellectual property is no exception. That is why the LPO is purposefully seeking new ways to engage young people, helping them understand that intellectual property is part of their everyday lives. We are particularly pleased about our collaboration with Riga TechGirls, which made it possible to combine intellectual property topics with areas that resonate with students, namely artificial intelligence and the prototyping of digital solutions,” emphasised LPO Director Agris Batalauskis.
A total of 45 students from nine Latvian educational institutions took part in the competition:
- The team from Carnikava Secondary School, accompanied by teachers Arnita Kampāne and Igors Ardaševs;
- The team from Ogre Technical School, accompanied by teacher Dace Runča;
- The team from Liepāja State Technical School, accompanied by teacher Linda Kravcova;
- The team from Druva Secondary School, accompanied by teacher Intars Bušinskis;
- The team from Latgale Music and Art Secondary School, accompanied by teacher Irina Laganovska-Vesere;
- The team from Madona State Gymnasium, accompanied by teachers Iveta Vabule and Gita Valdberga;
- The team from Jelgava Technology Secondary School, accompanied by teacher Daiga Bukonte;
- The team from Valka Jānis Cimze Gymnasium, accompanied by teacher Guntra Gaidlazda;
- The team from Jēkabpils Technology Technical School, accompanied by teacher Ingrīda Veipa.
Before reaching the final, the teams had already been working on their ideas through a series of preparatory sessions and by completing several assignments that helped them develop and improve their proposed solutions step by step. On the day of the competition final, the teams took part in a practical workshop organised by Riga TechGirls at their Young Innovators Workshop classroom. With the support of mentors, the teams further developed their ideas and created prototypes of digital solutions. The participants had access to Lovable, an AI-powered prototyping tool. Students tested the functionality of their solutions, improved their usability, and presented their projects to the judging panel, explaining how their ideas could help their peers better understand intellectual property issues.
“In a single day, the students proved that there is no need to wait for adulthood or a programming degree to develop a good idea. All it takes is the courage to begin, to ask the right questions, and not to be afraid of making mistakes, because that is exactly how start-ups are born. We are truly delighted with all nine solutions developed. We believe that today we witnessed the next generation of innovators in action, and we look forward to seeing where this journey will take them,” said Alise Gurenko, Board Member and Head of Start-up Direction at Riga TechGirls.
In addition to winning first place, the winning team was given the opportunity to further develop the solution created during the competition by participating in the SPRING UP pre-acceleration programme run by Riga TechGirls. During the programme, the young participants will receive support from mentors and industry experts, as well as gain insight into the next stages of digital product development. The remaining six teams received encouragement awards in recognition of the students’ efforts, creativity, and initiative.
The students’ solutions were evaluated by a five-member expert jury comprising LPO Director Agris Batalauskis; Dita Danosa, Chair of the Board of the Latvian Design Centre; Elīna Sviridova, co-founder of the Latvian Influencer Marketing Association, lawyer, and digital content creator; Pauls Siliņš, Board Member of Riga TechGirls; and Selīna Glaudāne, Head of Marketing and Communications at TechChill.
The jury assessed the solutions based on their creativity, suitability for a youth audience, use of artificial intelligence, understanding of intellectual property issues, as well as the teams’ ability to present and justify their vision.
The “Creative Intellectual” competition was organised by LPO for the eighth time. The competition aims to raise students’ awareness of intellectual property and provide practical experience in digital product development, the use of artificial intelligence tools, and entrepreneurial thinking.