Play Yur Idea 2026 Competition Showcases ULusófona's Best Projects
The PLAY incubator at Universidade Lusófona recognised the top projects of PLAY YOUR IDEA 2026, reinforcing innovation and entrepreneurship.
14.07.26 - 11h51
In July 2026, PLAY – Universidade Lusófona's Creative and Technology Incubator concluded another edition of the PLAY YOUR IDEA 2026 competition, following the final event held on 25 June 2026. This year's initiative attracted nearly 50 applications and aims to foster entrepreneurship, accelerate innovative ideas, and support the development of creative and technological projects led by students, alumni, and members of the Universidade Lusófona community.
This year's edition further reinforced PLAY's mission of bridging academic knowledge with the real needs of the market and society, creating the conditions for promising ideas to evolve into structured, sustainable projects with the potential to generate meaningful impact.
The competition was supported by the Lusófona Executive School (LES), the European project FilmEU, and the multinational consultancy CGI, through its CGI Unicorn Academy programme, strengthening the connection between incubation, executive education, creative development, technological acceleration, and market integration.
Developed over several stages—from the initial submission of ideas, project evaluation and finalist selection, to the final pitch before a jury and innovation ecosystem partners—the competition recognised projects in two main categories: Arts, Communication and Creative Industries, and Digital and Technology.
2026 Winners
Category A: Arts, Communication and Creative Industries
- 1st Place: Transição+
The Transição+ project was awarded first place in Category A.
The prize includes:
- €1,250 cash prize;
- 1 year of incubation at PLAY;
- 100% tuition waiver for a postgraduate programme at Lusófona Executive School (LES) for one project promoter;
- Project development within a partner organisation of the European FilmEU project.
- 2nd Place: Lisbon Story Heroes
Lisbon Story Heroes won second place in Category A.
The prize includes:
- €500 cash prize;
- 6 months of incubation at PLAY;
- 80% tuition waiver for a postgraduate programme at Lusófona Executive School (LES) for one project promoter;
- Project development within a partner organisation of the European FilmEU project.
- 3rd Place: GUMO
GUMO was awarded third place in Category A.
The prize includes:
- €250 cash prize;
- 3 months of incubation at PLAY;
- 40% tuition waiver for a postgraduate programme at Lusófona Executive School (LES) for one project promoter;
- Project development within a partner organisation of the European FilmEU project.
Category B: Digital and Technology
- 1st Place: MyLessons
MyLessons was awarded first place in Category B.
The prize includes:
- €1,250 cash prize;
- 1 year of incubation at PLAY;
- 100% tuition waiver for the annual MBA at Lusófona Executive School (LES) for one project promoter;
- 1 year of access to the CGI Unicorn Academy programme, including workshops, business case support, sales materials, training, go-to-market preparation, lead generation, and technical mentoring.
- 2nd Place: Twonect
Twonect won second place in Category B.
The prize includes:
- €500 cash prize;
- 6 months of incubation at PLAY;
- 80% tuition waiver for a postgraduate programme at Lusófona Executive School (LES) for one project promoter;
- 6 months of access to the CGI Unicorn Academy programme, including workshops, business case support, sales materials, training, go-to-market preparation, lead generation, and technical mentoring.
- 3rd Place: Ametara
Ametara was awarded third place in Category B.
The prize includes:
- €250 cash prize;
- 3 months of incubation at PLAY;
- 40% tuition waiver for a postgraduate programme at Lusófona Executive School (LES) for one project promoter;
- 3 months of access to the CGI Unicorn Academy programme, including workshops, business case support, sales materials, training, go-to-market preparation, lead generation, and technical mentoring.
According to Fernando Angelino, PLAY Coordinator, "This edition of PLAY YOUR IDEA reinforces the importance of building bridges between academia, the market and innovation partners, supporting projects that emerge within the university environment but have the potential to generate economic, technological, creative and social impact."
For Rui Ribeiro, also a PLAY Coordinator, "The diversity and quality of the projects presented in 2026 demonstrate the entrepreneurial spirit of the Universidade Lusófona community and highlight PLAY's role as a space for incubating, validating and accelerating ideas with strong future potential."
About PLAY
PLAY – Projects Lab Alliance For You is Universidade Lusófona's incubator, part of the largest private higher education institution in Portugal.
Integrated into the Lusófona educational innovation ecosystem, PLAY was created to identify, incubate, accelerate and transform creative and technological ideas into successful business ventures, acting as a bridge between academia, the market, investors and innovation partners.
Its mission is to turn ideas into structured, innovative projects by empowering entrepreneurs, startups and academic teams to develop impactful solutions in their respective fields.
About LES
Lusófona Executive School (LES) is Universidade Lusófona's executive education school, dedicated to developing leaders and professionals with a focus on innovation, management, sustainability, technology and digital transformation.
As part of one of Portugal's largest educational ecosystems, LES promotes a strong connection between academic knowledge and business practice through action-oriented programmes, an international outlook, and a particular commitment to Portuguese-speaking countries.
