Technicus Award: Open Mind – When Young Talents Ask Questions
From an AI-powered life planner to an autonomous training device for competitive runners to an open-source car radio for older vehicles: at the Technicus Award 2026 at HTL Mössingerstraße in Klagenfurt, students from Carinthia came up with 16 different answers – to questions they asked themselves.
For the sixth time, the Association of Alumni of HTL Mössingerstraße presented the Technicus Award. The 2026 theme: OPEN Mind – IdeaX. Every idea was welcome. No predetermined topic, no framework – students were free to let their imagination run wild. The result: projects that go far beyond everyday school life.
Technology with Purpose at the Technicus Award
This year’s Technicus Award submissions once again included developments that address concrete social challenges.
A fog collector system for water harvesting in arid regions – developed with sheet metal-based filter structures. VisionEcho, a pair of glasses with vibration feedback for blind people that makes obstacles at head height perceptible – because the classic white cane simply misses them. A remote-controlled observation boat, disguised as a duck and acoustically dampened, for documenting endangered waterfowl species – without disturbing the animals. CanSat Hephaistos 12, equipped with a thermal imaging camera and GPS, for locating hidden hotspots after wildfires from the air. And Kippe’s – a student company founded within the Junior Company Program, offering a reusable product for disposing of cigarette butts that attaches directly to the pack.
A Jury with Vision
Alexander Windbichler, CEO of Anexia Group, joined Christian Smerietschnig from BIGBANG and Michael Marketz from Kärnten Netz as a jury member at the Technicus Award – and every time for the same reason: he founded Anexia himself at age 19, straight out of his graduation project at HTL Mössingerstraße. The parallel is no coincidence.
“We’re committed to making Europe more digitally sovereign and to creating real value through technology. And that’s exactly what you see here: how a genuine passion for technology can generate that value.
Every participant was courageous – and that’s what matters. Not winning, but coming up with an idea, sticking with it, and seeing it through. That’s courage.
And if you say: I can’t do this – just add a YET.”
— Alexander Windbichler, CEO Anexia Group
Burkhard Grabner, Chairman of the Alumni Association of HTL Mössingerstraße, sees this ambition as the core of the format:
“Technology that comes from genuine interest has a different quality. You can see it in the projects – and it’s what we work toward every year.”
— Burkhard Grabner, Organizer of the Technicus Award
Award Winners
Among the winning projects were the Fog Collectors by Dario Periša from the 4th year of HTL Mössingerstraße. Marvin Drljepan and Lorenz Häupl (3rd year) also took home a prize with their project VisionEcho. The 2nd year category was won by Mark David Eisner and Niklas Karu with their PaceRunner, and from the cooperative class of BG/BRG Mössinger, Maximilian Reautschnig and Tizian Led impressed the jury with their Duck Boat.
The Alumni Association of HTL Mössingerstraße provided a total of approximately €5,800 in prize money as well as around €1,200 to support project implementation.
Tech Education That Makes a Difference
The Technicus Award shows what becomes possible when students get early access to technical tools and real-world challenges.
“Education tomorrow needs technology – but also integrity and responsibility. We see both here every year.”
— Burkhard Grabner, Organizer of the Technicus Award
The previous year already showed what kind of innovative energy emerges when young people get to decide for themselves what they want to build.