As part of the IV World Conference on Creative Economy, IT Park Uzbekistan, in collaboration with the Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan and the Youth Affairs Agency, organized a major ideathon titled Bridging Creativity Gap: Creating an Inclusive Environment for Creative Minds in Uzbekistan. The event aimed to foster an inclusive environment that would enable young talents to cultivate their creative ideas and bring them to life.
The ideathon commenced on October 2 at the Republican Children's Library, bringing together over 30 participants who began developing their projects under the guidance of seasoned mentors. Among the mentors were distinguished professionals such as Valentin Tsarov, Shakhzod Narzullaev, Nietbai Keulimzhaev, and Javlonbek Ibragimov, whose support enabled the teams to refine their concepts and devise effective strategies for successful project implementation.
Topics for Ideathon:
- Business & Creativity collaboration for making products on world markets
- Regions inclusion - education, cross-region collaboration, access
- New ways of integration of art in GameDev.
Following the results of the projects, eight of the most promising teams advanced to the finals, where they had the opportunity to present their ideas to a panel of international judges. The projects were evaluated based on key criteria, including the creativity of the concept, relevance to the chosen theme, impact on the development of Uzbekistan’s creative economy, and the degree of innovation in the proposed solutions.
The jury consisted of globally recognized experts:
- Nadia Paredes, President of the American Art Therapy Association;
- Guillaume Therien, Partner at Triptyq Capital;
- Indira Uzbekova, Regional Director, Aga Khan Development Network;
- Adama Sanneh, Co-founder and CEO, Moleskine Foundation.
Winning Projects of the Ideathon:
The Artistlink team secured the top position with their eponymous project. ArtistLink is a curated online marketplace that connects creatives with business owners. The key features include an advanced searchable database of creatives in Central Asia with easy access to their profiles which showcase their portfolios, expertise, budget, and contact information. This allows business owners to easily find the ideal creative to hire for their projects.
The Handi-Hub project, which garnered second place, is a platform designed to support female artisans from local communities by assisting them in entering the marketplace and connecting with buyers across Central Asia. Bringing creativity and business together, the platform provides artisans with the opportunity to broaden their market reach and develop their business in the e-commerce sector. Handi-Hub leverages cutting-edge technologies, including virtual reality, artificial intelligence, voice controller, and online tutorial classes to enhance artisans' skills and facilitate more effective engagement with digital marketplaces.
The 2A team earned third place with their Cyberbrush project, a cyberpunk game with detective elements featuring a unique gameplay mechanic. All non-player characters (NPCs) in Cyberbrush are "alive," and controlled by a CHATGPT-based system. Each NPC has its own emotions and knowledge about the world. Players can communicate directly with the characters through a microphone, asking questions of interest beyond the scripted scenarios, thereby significantly enhancing player immersion and engagement.
The ideathon provided a significant platform for the talented youth of Uzbekistan to demonstrate their potential and contribute meaningfully to the development of the country’s creative economy. This competition has revealed new prospects for youth-led initiatives and creative projects which can serve as a catalysts for growth, further strengthening Uzbekistan’s standing both domestically and internationally.
