‘AIMO! Create and cheer with AI’ - Hrvatski Telekom invites creatives to reinterpret the emotion of football through AI tools

28.5.2026

• Creatives can submit AI-generated videos, photographs, and illustrations inspired by football and cheering
• 15,000 euros for the best entries, and an exhibition featuring the best ones
• Winners selected by an expert jury, alongside a special Audience Award

Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Hrvatski Telekom is launching a creative competition inviting authors, creatives, football fans and digital enthusiasts to reinterpret the emotion of football and the passion of cheering for Croatia’s national team, the Vatreni, through their own creative expression using artificial intelligence tools. 

The competition, titled ‘AIMO! Create and Cheer with AI’, is open to anyone interested in exploring the possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI) technology through videos, photographs, and illustrations inspired by football, fan culture, the national team and the passion this sport inspires.

The competition is based on the UGC (user-generated content) concept, encouraging authors to interpret football in their own original, innovative ways using AI tools. The competition focuses on originality, creativity, and the innovative use of technology.

The project is part of Hrvatski Telekom’s broader initiatives to bring artificial intelligence closer to the public and encourage the creative use of new technologies. Through educational content and collaboration with local creators who use AI tools in their creative processes, the project aims to demonstrate how technology can support the development of ideas, creativity, and new content formats.

The total prize fund for ‘AIMO! Create and Cheer with AI’ is 15,000 euros. The author(s) of the winning entry will receive 7,000 euros, the second-place entry 4,000 euros, and the third-place entry 2,000 euros. The winner of the special Audience Award will also receive 2,000 euros.

Participants can submit AI-generated video content up to 30 seconds long, as well as photographs and illustrations, via a dedicated web platform available here. All submitted entries must be created using artificial intelligence tools. The expert jury will select 10 finalists from all submitted entries. Among the 10 finalists, the jury will select the three best entries. At the same time, the public will vote for their favorite via Hrvatski Telekom’s official Instagram profile, with the winning entry receiving the special Audience Award.

To mark the launch of the competition, new educational video episodes by the creator and AI artist Filip Filković Philatz were also released. Philatz is one of Croatia’s most recognized authors using artificial intelligence in real creative projects as a tool for inspiration, idea development, and creative production.

“Artificial intelligence alone does not create good content. It only becomes interesting when there is an idea, a perspective, and creativity behind the person using it. That is why I see this competition as a great opportunity for creators to experiment, develop their own expression, and demonstrate how technology can become a tool for authentic creative work,” said Filip Filković Philatz.

“Contemporary art has always been a space for exploring new media and technologies, and today artificial intelligence is becoming one of the tools through which artists can develop and expand their creative expression. However, without ideas, emotion, and an author’s perspective, there is no art. AI cannot replace human creativity, but it can open new possibilities for it. That is precisely why I see this competition as an interesting fusion of technology, art, and the collective emotion inspired by football,” said Frankica Mitrović Mihić, art historian and owner of Zen Contemporary Art gallery.

“Just as Croatia has outstanding athletes and football players who make us proud, it undoubtedly also has exceptional creatives capable of creating something remarkable. That idea guided us in designing this project, which connects the opportunities offered by technology with the emotions that come with supporting our national team. For many years, Hrvatski Telekom has proudly partnered with the Croatian Football Federation and the Croatian national football team. We continuously support projects that connect technology, innovation, and the sense of togetherness that football inspires. Through this creative competition, we want to demonstrate how artificial intelligence tools can open new possibilities for creative expression and inspire younger generations to use technology in innovative and responsible ways. The combination of football, creativity, and new technologies is a natural continuation of our ambition to encourage the adoption of new AI knowledge. For everyone with an idea, an emotion, and an interest in creating with AI tools, this is an opportunity to turn that idea into content that will be seen across Croatia,” said Ivan Runje, Director of the Residential Marketing and Product Management Department at Hrvatski Telekom.

“We live in an age of exciting tools that allow us to realize our most imaginative visions. However, the value of these tools lies not in the technology itself but in the human creativity that drives them. Artificial intelligence does not replace ideas, emotions, or an author’s perspective; it opens new ways to express them. That is precisely why the purpose of this competition is to encourage creators to explore how passion for football, cheering and togetherness can be translated into original works that push the boundaries of creative expression and demonstrate what emerges when imagination meets new technological possibilities,” said Davor Bruketa, creative director and co-owner of the agency Bruketa&Žinić&Grey.

Igor Vukasović - HT Corporate Communications director, Frankica Mitrović Mihić, Ivan Runje and Davor Bruketa

The jury consists of:

• Branka Bajt, Brand Director at Hrvatski Telekom
• Davor Bruketa, Creative Director and co-owner of Bruketa&Žinić&Grey
• Ante Cicvarić, Marketing Director at the Croatian Football Federation
• Damir Ciglar, Founder and CEO of Imago Ogilvy
• Filip Filković Philatz, film director and founder of More-Magnets production
• Frankica Mitrović Mihić, art historian and owner of Zen Contemporary Art gallery

Applications for the competition are open as of today, May 28. All interested participants can submit their works via the official competition platform, which contains all information and rules
 – aimo-stvarati.hrvatskitelekom.hr  

The ‘AIMO! Create and Cheer with AI’ competition is open until June 10, with finalists announced by June 15 and winners to be declared on June 23, 2026.

The best entries will also be presented at a special exhibition at Zen Contemporary Art Gallery and across Hrvatski Telekom’s digital platforms.