We are delighted to announce that students Paulina Gudavičiūtė, Marija Bagdanavičiūtė, and Kamilė Symulevič, third-year students of the Economics Engineering study program at the Faculty of Business Management of VILNIUS TECH, under the team name "Back to the Future," secured the first place and a prize of 1000 EUR in the 'Lithuania 2050' Communication Ideas Marathon. This marathon, organized by the Government's Chancellery, the advertising and creativity school "The Atomic Garden," and Vilnius University, took place from November 17th to 19th this year. Eight teams from various Lithuanian higher education institutions competed in creating the best future vision for the 'Lithuania 2050' communication campaign within a span of 3 days.

"It is particularly pleasing to receive news about our students' participation and even their first-place victory in the communication ideas marathon. Hearing and understanding the youth is crucial for the successful implementation of the country's strategy. Therefore, an event of this nature, as a form of dialogue with the youth, provides an opportunity to engage them in searching for solutions to future problems and better understanding their communication needs. Congratulations to the winners and participating student teams; we are delighted with your enthusiasm and achievements. We also extend our thanks to the lecturers who encouraged students to participate," said Dr. Jolanta Nalivaikė, Vice-Dean for Communication and Community at VILNIUS TECH Business Management Faculty.

During the three-day event, discussions were held with members of the State Progress Council and visionaries. Presentations on communication trends were given, and workshops on future design were organized. Experienced professionals provided guidance to participants during the event, assisting teams in finding ways to communicate to peers about the country's future and overcoming the path from creative ideas to their presentation. The competition took place in the "Tech Hub" space at Vilnius University, where 8 teams from Vilnius University, Kaunas University of Technology, VILNIUS TECH, and Vilnius College competed. The creativity, originality, innovation, and potential engagement of the target audience in the participants' created communication campaigns were evaluated during the event.

The communication idea developed by students from the Faculty of Business Management stood out in a particularly creative manner and differed in its format from the ideas of other participants, which likely contributed to its success. Students from the Economics Engineering study program created a song and an invitation for young people to a "stand-up" comedy show, a leisure format relevant among youth. "The competition raised the issue of young people's lack of involvement in the realm of civic responsibility, political voting, especially limited interest in politics and the future of Lithuania." said Marija Bogdanavičiūtė, a representative of the winning team.

The vision of the future of Lithuania, "Lithuania 2050," is one of the most important state documents dedicated to contemplating the country's development and shaping future expectations. The goal of the Communication Ideas Marathon was to present Lithuania's future vision to a youth audience, encourage them to think sustainably about the future, and create innovative solutions for our country.