A total of 22 children and four groups entered the competition. The jury ultimately selected three works for recognition: the mixed-media piece When Stone and Glass Begin to Talk by Dominika Filipi from the P. Křížkovský Grammar School; a spatial installation created by a team of Year 6 pupils from Křídlovická Primary School; and the animated film Cosmic Library by Ivan Leščenko, a Year 7 pupil at Labyrint Primary School.
The jury consisted of Open House Brno festival manager Barbora Mikolášiková, competition organiser Jana Ovčáčková, and colleagues Stanislava Wiedersheimová and Martina Vráblíková.
Open House Brno plans to build on the success of its first edition
“The opening brought in about thirty visitors. Kids arrived with their parents, and you could tell how much the recognition meant to them. The team from Křídlovická Primary School even came with their teacher, who entered them into the competition,” says organiser Jana Ovčáčková.
“We’d love to build on this first edition in the coming years. It makes us genuinely happy that our festival attracts whole families and gives both adults and children a meaningful experience. Through this project, we want to return the favour and support children’s curiosity as they discover Brno. It’s inspiring to see just how many talented young people are growing up here,” she adds.
Continuing the Visual Stories tradition under Open House Europe
The first edition of Visual Stories for Kids builds on the established Visual Stories exhibition programme, launched annually by Open House Europe and already seen by roughly 100,000 visitors in Brno. It is an international call inviting creators to capture the architecture of their city on a given theme through photography, video, drawing, and other visual media. The concept was introduced in 2023. The first curated selection was hosted in Lisbon, followed by Dublin, and this year by Athens. Fourteen cities joined the project in its inaugural year, and the number continues to grow.
Every year, Visual Stories presents a selection of the best works from the cities involved in Open House Europe. Representing Open House Brno this year are creators Milli Pokorna and Jana Mikolášek for photography, and Michal Hausknecht for photography combined with graphic design. Their works will be exhibited for the first time in Athens next month and will then travel across Europe throughout 2026 as part of the touring exhibition. They will also appear in printed festival publications and on the Open House Europe website.
Join Visual Stories 2026: Currents of Change
You can take part in the 2026 edition as well. The theme will be Currents of Change, and the competition will once again be open to all age groups.
We look forward to works created during the festival weekend, 15–17 May, that capture how the city evolves over time. We welcome perspectives on the historical development of Brno and reminders that well-crafted work stands the test of time — continually gaining new audiences far beyond the Open House Brno festival.
More information will be published next year on our website and social media channels.
