Award Highlights from MERIThON 2024

The international hackathon MERIThON, co-organized by the MERIT and SustAInLivWork projects, brought together enthusiasts in Vilnius, Lithuania, from November 19 to 22, 2024. Each evening, diverse teams of participants collaborated on selected challenges, supported by mentoring sessions. All teams explored AI tools and methods, applying them to address real-world challenges and deliver innovative solutions.

Throughout the idea-generation process, the importance of creating platforms for idea sharing and building networks for collaboration was emphasized. The partnership between the MERIT and SustAInLivWork projects, which jointly organized the second international MERIThON, served as a prime example. Participants learned how both projects could support their efforts in upskilling advanced digital skills, providing tools, and mentoring to further develop AI-based solutions with a focus on growth and sustainability.

The event concluded with a video pitch session and an awards ceremony, marking a significant milestone in advancing AI-driven innovations to enhance the EU’s innovation landscape.

The winners of the 2nd MERIThON

Four winners were recognized for their outstanding results, showcasing the transformative potential of AI to address real-world problems effectively.

The Most Mature Idea: Team EVALA
Team EVALA won the award for the Most Mature Idea with their innovative solution for real estate price estimation. Their AI-powered model integrates multiple data sources, including: extracted formal real estate report data, real estate photos and additional contextual data. By synthesizing these inputs, EVALA provides insights and price recommendations, streamlining the property valuation process and offering valuable support for the real estate market.

The Most Innovative Ideas: Farmers Fellow & Teach Me
Two teams shared the spotlight in the Most Innovative Idea category:

1. 1. Farmers Fellow
      This team developed a platform aimed at empowering young farmers. Their solution consolidates data on land properties, including ownership, location, usage history, and comparisons with similar properties. By incorporating agricultural data (e.g., soil conditions, crop types), Farmers Fellow offers tailored recommendations to optimize farming practices sustainably.

1. 1. Teach Me
      Teach Me introduced an AI-driven tool designed to enhance English language learning. The tool evaluates a user’s pronunciation skills, identifies speech pattern issues, and provides targeted rules for improvement. Unlike existing solutions, this tool emphasizes clear pronunciation rules, creating personalized learning paths to redefine language education.

The Most Contextual Idea: Team TrustDeal
Team TrustDeal received the award for the Most Contextual Idea by addressing trust issues in the e-commerce sector. Their AI solution evaluates the credibility of e-shops by analyzing publicly available data about the e-shop, product descriptions, user comments and other relevant data points. TrustDeal’s solution empowers consumers to make informed decisions, ensuring safer and more reliable online shopping experiences.

Congratulations to all the winners and participants for their efforts and contributions! Your work and commitment to exploring AI solutions are valuable steps toward addressing real-world challenges. The SustAInLivWork project team appreciates your dedication and looks forward to seeing how these ideas evolve.