
SMUKFEST Sustainability Challenge
In order to participate in this challenge it is required to be a student at VIA University College.
Get an unique possibility to take part in the Smukfest festival in a different way, where you get to implement your idea, while the festival is unfolding. VIAs Student Incubators and Smukfest are launching a challenge, where you will have the chance to use your creativity and professional competences. You will present your idea for representatives from Smukfest, who will find a winner, that will get to continue to work with the idea, implementing it at the festival.
So grap your friends, form a group and come up with a solution to:
”How does Smukfest nudge their guests to not leave behind litter and camping gear, when they go home at the end of the festival?”
Smukfest puts in an enourmous effort to recycle tons of camping equipment and other litter left behind by their guests. The festival has already implemented a range of actions, but are looking for more creative input to how the problem can be solved, while at the same time, it should be fun and attractive for their guests.
Peter Ib, organizer of Smukfest, elaborates:
“We expect that you try and implement behavioral design and nudging in your solutions, and that they aim towards getting our guests to become better at recycle or reuse their equipment and handle their litter correctly.”
Smukfest wishes to influence the mindset of their guests towards it is not cool to live in a pigsty, nor acceptable to leave behind all kinds of camping equipment when the festival ends. It will give points to come up with new ideas, but creative rethinking of already tested
concepts are also able to win the contest.
While working on your idea and solution, you will be able to receive sparring at one of VIAs Student Incubators. So just because there is a long time until the submission deadline, join the competition as soon as you can - then you have time to get more feedback and sparring and make your idea even better!
All relevant material and information can be found below.
Smukfest Sustainability challenge goes online
Last chance to submit an idea
Pitching in front of a jury
For the winning group only


"I have an idea! What do I do!?"
You have an idea - great!
First off, collect some friends at VIA and form a group - it is always better to work together!
Then write an e-mail to Morten Mathiasen at [email protected] and let him know you want to enter the competition. He will be able to guide you in the process and answer your questions.
It does not matter whether you are studying design, engineering, in the area of health or any other of VIAs study programs - just as long as you are a student at VIA University College. This means that you can form a team together with other study programs than your own and use your different expertise to create something amazing!
Important: Make sure you read all the material found in the 'SMUKFEST Sustainability Challenge'
"Can we win something?" Oh yes, indeed!
This is an idea competition, which means, there will be a final event, where all participating groups are presenting their ideas.
And where there is a competition, there is a prize!
The winning group will be invited to Smukfest 2022 to test their idea or product (tickets included!!)
It is awesome to win tickets to Smukfest, but, use this opportunity to get the chance to collaborate with such a cool organization that is behind the festival. Maybe your idea can evolve into changing the perception on how to be a festival guest? Maybe your idea can turn into a business? So use this chance to create something great and use the open offer there is, to get guidance and help from VIAs Student Incubators.
The winning group will be accommodated at the camp-area of Kærligheden, where the festival will provide materials if it should be necessary to implement the idea.
Smukfest will also provide a diploma/reference usable for your CV.
Get professional guidance from VIAs Student Incubators
Morten Mathiasen will be your point of contact and he can help guide you to the right incubator and coordinator.
Here you will get sparring for you to further develop your idea and/or concept.
It is optional if you and your group will use this opportunity.
Framework of hand-in
This whole project is facilitated through the platform challenges.dk. It is here you will upload your suggested solutions.
There are no requirenments on how much time you spend, but the more, the better.
You can upload anything from in-text writing on the platform, PDF/word documents, drawings, pictures of preto- and prototypes, videos - It is up to you!
Your idea/solution can revolve around campaigns, physical products, services, other initiatives etc.
Smukfest in numbers
• 55.000 daily guests
• The average age for guests is around. 38 years old. Ca. 58% women and 42% men
• Festivalsite at 230.000 square meters
• Guests put up around 12.000 tents
• 200 stands and bars
• Smukfests Facebooksite has 116.000 followers
• 135.000 liters of draft beer
• 212.000 bottles of beer
• 160.000 bottles of water
• 240.000 tubes of shots
• 56 tons icecubes
• 300.000 pieces of single-use cutlery
• 120.000 garbage bags
• 1.000.000 beer mugs
• 3.000.000 meters of toiletpaper
• 220 sanitary carts with 1562 flushing toilets
• Every year 55 kilometers of fence it put up
• 34.000 square meters of floor it laid out
• Scaffold, with a total weight of 500 tons it set up.
• In 2017, due to rain, Smukfest needed: 1000 cubic metre sliver, 2800 iron pieces (total weight of 1600 tons), 25 loads crushed rock, 15 loads gravel og 20 loads of sand.