Meet the winners of the Una Europa Student Award 2026

Henry is a Chartered Engineer and doctoral researcher at the School of Civil Engineering, University College Dublin. His research focuses on the role of culture in driving innovation within the construction industry.

His winning submission reflects on what universities offer in a future where knowledge is universally accessible through technology. The jury particularly appreciated the emotional depth of the piece and its powerful message about remaining human in a technology-driven future.

By 2040, AI has made knowledge universally accessible. Anyone can learn anything, anywhere, anytime. Yet universities might still endure. This video explores one possible reason why.

'A Letter From a Student in 2040' imagines a future student writing back to us in 2026. Through quiet campus moments (shared coffee, conversations over lunch, walking between lectures, sitting together in libraries), the video reflects on what learning in person offers that solitary study cannot. The video considers the value of disagreement that requires you to pause and find better words. Friendships that form through showing up, not just logging on. The discomfort of changing your mind in front of others. The small acts of compassion that happen when you notice someone struggling.

Perhaps universities matter not because they deliver information, but because they create space for us to learn alongside each other. To think critically together. To care about the people we disagree with.

– Henry Corcoran.

Gabriela is an Audiovisual Communication student at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She is interested in documentary storytelling and giving voice to students and diverse knowledge.

Her submission explores how universities could move beyond passive learning and memorisation towards more active, personalised, and experiential education models. The jury recognised the strong conceptual grounding of her work and its clear engagement with more flexible and experiential forms of learning.

University students sit through two-hour classes listening to their tutors deliver the year’s material. The problem begins with the expectation that they should pay attention, take notes, and actively participate, yet this rarely happens. Many students struggle to concentrate for more than an hour and a half because they become bored, so they end up doing other things instead of engaging with the lesson. As a result, few realise that the education they receive is often superficial; the goal is not genuine learning, but memorisation. It is necessary to find solutions that make universities of the future more proactive, foster student creativity, and move beyond purely numerical forms of assessment.

By 2040, education begins from a different starting point: students learn through reading and engaging in activities directly related to their subject areas, in learning spaces where they can immediately apply their knowledge. Universities adopt teaching methods tailored to individual strengths, whether visual, auditory, or written. Tutors observe students developing their own projects, strengthening their critical thinking skills, and opening themselves up to a world of opportunities. Through a shared digital library, students exchange opinions on projects with peers across Europe, practicing languages and improving their listening skills. On campus, students prepare for the outside world by organising debates on political, artistic, and economic topics. In this way, the university listens to its students and improves teaching through meaningful evaluation criteria, promoting diversity and reinforcing shared values as students grow into future professionals.

– Gabriela Jiménez.

Elena is a first-year student of the Una Europa Joint Bachelor in European Studies (BAES), with a strong interest in education, international cooperation and representation.

Her submission envisions a university that prioritises critical thinking, collaboration and personalised learning. The jury was impressed by the originality of her approach and her ability to clearly envision how higher education might evolve in practice.

Students in 2040 are trained to question information, rather than just store it in their brains. For this to happen, the system must be shaped to support them.

I imagine the University of the Future as follows. Courses combine two types of learning experiences. In the mornings, professors lead lectures where the core concepts of a subject are explored, followed by guided debates and discussions. In the afternoons, the focus shifts from learning to collaborative project work, where theoretical concepts are applied to real-world contexts.

To guarantee that everyone internalises information, a personalised path comes into play. At the beginning of each semester, students are asked to fill out a survey on their preferred modes of learning, memorising, communicating, and working. Similar responses bring together students who share similar approaches, so that everyone can work in an environment in which they flourish and feel comfortable. Each group has a tutor acting as a mentor, who guides and provides the framework for students to use their strengths.

Throughout one semester, each group carries out three projects focused on global challenges. Each student keeps a personal diary to track their own progress and reflections. Evaluation is made both at a personal level, represented by the diary, and at a group level, represented by the final project presented to a committee of professors.

In this way, university is no longer a competition for grades. It becomes a place where knowledge is understood, and transformed into something students can truly claim as their own.

– Elena Lusetti.

Miruna is a Romanian student enrolled on the Una Europa Joint Bachelor in European Studies (BAES). Specialising in Politics and International Relations, Miruna began her BAES journey at Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna and is now studying at KU Leuven. She is particularly interested how culture and politics shape European cooperation.

Her video essay explores the experience of overload and uncertainty in contemporary higher education. The jury found her submission particularly persuasive, noting its strong concept and creative use of the video format to reinforce its message.

The video essay explores the experience of overload and uncertainty within contemporary higher education. Presented as a screen recording of a student’s laptop, the work follows a sequence of everyday interactions in a digital world: opening numerous browser tabs, searching for advice online, reading a rejection email while overlooking the acceptance mail. As search tabs rapidly multiply, echoing the same anxious question, the screen spirals into digital noise and uncertainty, capturing the overwhelming pressure that defines many students’ academic journeys.

The piece uses the familiar interface of search engines, productivity apps, and journaling platforms to highlight how information abundance does not necessarily lead to emotional clarity. Instead, the constant demand to perform, decide, and optimise can amplify uncertainty and self-doubt. In the final moment, a journal prompt asking for the day’s goal interrupts the chaos. The subsequent image of a laptop on fire symbolises a rejection of purely productivity-driven learning systems. Subtle background music supports the emotional progression of the narrative, while everyday sound effects enhance the authenticity of the digital environment and ground the story.

Through minimalist storytelling, the project critiques the overwhelming structures surrounding academic life and invites a reconsideration of education as a space for curiosity, reflection, and genuine intellectual exploration rather than constant optimisation and output.

– Miruna Mangu.

Helsi is a master’s student in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Edinburgh, with significant involvement in student leadership and representation.

Her submission explores how students could actively co-create their educational environment in the future. The jury recognised the thoughtfulness and effort behind her work as her video presented a well-developed scenario and a personal, original take on the future of higher education.

The video opens with 2026 me receiving a call from my 2040 self at the University of Edinburgh. Curious and slightly overwhelmed, I ask, 'What does ‘future-ready’ even mean? What’s changed?'. Future me smiles and replies, 'Everything. Let me show you 2040'.

George Square transforms into a living example of student power. Digital walls flash real-time votes: '68% approve Quantum Ethics Trading’. In this future, courses evolve continuously through democratic student-staff forums, where decisions about curriculum, campus life, and wellbeing are shaped equally by both groups.

Taking it all in, 2026 me suddenly blurts out, 'Oh my God… I love your outfit!' My 2040 self laughs and replies, 'Thanks! One of our own students designed it. Universities don’t just fund ideas anymore, they help students actually create them'.

The film then cuts to snapshots of everyday student life. One student attends a VR lecture while running on a treadmill, seamlessly balancing wellbeing and learning. In another moment, a student helps shape a campus wellbeing policy, her pride and ownership clear even without words. Through these moments, the film imagines a future where universities move beyond delivering knowledge to co-creating it with students. Curriculum evolves with emerging industries, governance becomes collaborative, and flexible learning environments support both productivity and wellbeing.

Filmed across the University of Edinburgh and the city of Edinburgh, simple visual effects create a glimpse of 2040, a university where students don’t just prepare for the future; they actively help design it.

– Helsi Wilson.

Elson, originally from Malaysia, is a second-year medical student at University College Dublin with interests in student engagement, communication, and content creation.

His submission envisions a university built on collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity. The jury appreciated his focus on co-creation, particularly in shaping courses and campus spaces.

Imagine a university where students are not just passive recipients of knowledge, but active co-creators of their learning journey, campus life, and the institution’s future direction.

This submission envisions a 2040 university where collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity define education. Students actively shape curricula, design learning experiences, and contribute to decision-making processes, ensuring that teaching meets real-world needs and nurtures critical thinking. Digital platforms and interactive tools enable students to propose ideas, vote on initiatives, and engage in meaningful dialogue with faculty and administration, fostering a culture of shared responsibility and trust. Campus life evolves into a space that balances academic rigour with wellbeing, creativity, and community engagement. Students lead projects, workshops, and events, blending diverse perspectives and ensuring that every voice is heard. By co-creating their educational environment, students develop practical skills, resilience, and adaptability – preparing them not just for existing careers, but for the challenges and opportunities of jobs that do not yet exist. Through this vision, universities transform into dynamic ecosystems where learning is reciprocal, innovation thrives, and students shape the future of higher education itself.

The submission combines narrative, visual storytelling, and real-life examples to illustrate how co-creation empowers students, strengthens community, and redefines the purpose of the modern university. It is an invitation to imagine and build universities where students are partners, innovators, and leaders, rather than mere learners.

– Elson Yong.

Elia is a first-year Law and Political Science student at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She is interested in global issues, education, and civic engagement.

Her submission explores the role of universities in society and democracy. The jury found her emphasis on integrating real-world problem-solving into the curriculum particularly compelling.

This video looks to present a near-future depiction of the activity and evolution of universities. Taking as a starting point the heart of the main campus of Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, it explores university beyond its traditional educational role, analysing the opportunities it gives its students to develop multiple and diverse abilities like teamwork, time management or leadership. The approach I have followed underlines the privilege our universities represent, introducing an 'opportunity comes with responsibility' point of view. Through a sequence of my daily views in a typical day in the Faculty of Law, including my lectures, rugby practice and time spent with my classmates, I have tried to reflect on the chosen theme.

I think the future of our universities is something we as students, but also universities as institutions, should always keep in mind. The interdisciplinary projects proposed in the video are one way (of many!) of doing so, as is the Una Europa alliance. The goal of my work is to state that university is not a separate organ from society but rather a prominent part in it, and in the preservation of democracy and social wellbeing. As never-stopping engines that create knowledge, discussion, debate and critical thinking while it promoting hard work, resilience, teamwork and diversity, what better than our universities to carry change and progress for tomorrow’s democracies?

– Elia Sastre.

Mohamed is an Egyptian master’s student in Political Science at Freie Universität Berlin. For Mohamed, his studies are a way of understanding society, power, and conflict struggles, and in the light of the uncertain future and rise of AI, this has become more relevant.

His submission explores future challenges in higher education, with a focus on the role of Artificial Intelligence. The jury appreciated the originality of his approach and his willingness to engage with complex and timely issues.

Although we often talk about 2040 and technology optimistically, especially in how our lives would become easier, this video suggests an alternative perspective. I attempt to cover issues that could hit universities and the academic world in 2040, focusing primarily on Artificial Intelligence.

The video is split into three parts, where I briefly explain a possible issue AI may cause in higher education and act out a scene. Firstly, the main issue is how AI will minimise face-to-face contact in universities, making students feel distant from their lecturers, but also from each other. Students will go to class or get to their peers less if AI can explain the whole curriculum to them. Secondly, I sarcastically show that due to different AI models having paid services, classrooms may turn into a pay-to-win room, where those who pay more or have access to better AI end up with the best results. Lastly, concerning research, AI might be used so intensively that it will generate convincing research and methods that we rely on blindly, overlooking possible validity issues, or it makes up data.

Simply said, we should be aware that we cannot fully rely on AI even if it simplifies everything.

– Mohamed Header

Our 2026 winners will travel to the Una Europa Student Congress 2026 taking place at Universiteit Leiden, where they will further develop their ideas by participating in a futures-thinking workshop and a pitch-refinement session organised by the Leiden Learning and Innovation Centre in collaboration with Future UniLab, Una Europa's think tank. This preparation will lead into the opening plenary session of the Student Congress, where the students will present and showcase their visions to the wider Una Europa student community. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage with the projects throughout the event.

Congratulations to our winners and runner-ups, and thank you to all participants for sharing their vision of the University of the Future!