First launched in 2018, the Open Innovation Competition is the City of Melbourne's annual challenge to solve a city issue.

With a different theme each year, the competition calls for innovators, entrepreneurs, students and community members to submit their bright ideas to solve the challenge. It is designed to tap into the creativity and expertise of our community, and stimulate new ideas and effective solutions.

Participants are encouraged to incorporate data and emerging technology into their ideas to address common urban challenges.

This year, the theme for the Open Innovation Competition is 'city reactivation and recovery post COVID-19'.

Open Innovation Competition 2021

News

Timeline

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    Competition launch

    Virtual launch event

    22 March 2021

  • Timeline item 2 - complete

    Participant support sessions

    Available through online Q&A and virtual 1:1 sessions with a range of mentors and experts.

    22 March to 30 April 2021

  • Timeline item 3 - complete

    Melbourne Knowledge Week

    Rapid Open Innovation Sprint with RMIT

    26 April to 30 April 2021

  • Timeline item 4 - complete

    Competition closes

    5pm on 2 May 2021

  • Timeline item 5 - complete

    Applications reviewed

    May to June 2021

  • Timeline item 6 - complete

    Competition Pitch Event

    Finalist pitch showcase

    Wednesday 23 June 2021

City Reactivation and Recovery (2021)

Learn more about the 2021 competition theme - reimagining the way we live, connect, work and play in our city.

City of Melbourne's open data

Explore our open data platform to access a wide variety of publicly accessible council data.