In the B2C category, Art4promotion won first place with the Grand Opening of the Czech Youth Olympic Games, a landmark ceremony held on the banks of the Vltava River in Budweis.
The grand opening also received a Special Award for Best in Creativity, recognising the team’s strong creative approach and the innovative ways they brought the opening to life.
The opening brought Olympic spirit directly into the city, becoming the first youth Olympic ceremony ever staged outside a sports arena. The concept connected the Olympic Paris and Budweis through powerful symbolism and the message “There are no big winners without small winners.” With over 5,000 young athletes and more than 30,000 spectators, the event blended national pride, storytelling, and large‑scale live performance into an unforgettable public celebration.
The production pushed technical and creative boundaries: a 100‑ton multimedia stage stretched over 300 meters along the river, featuring a 200m² LED wall, a custom bridge for the athlete parade, and a monumental water wall created with the help of 200 volunteer firefighters. Aerial acrobatics, drones, pyrotechnics, holograms, and live orchestral music brought the four elements—Fire, Water, Earth, and Air—to life, creating an emotionally resonant narrative about growth and resilience.
The ceremony drew 100,000 live attendees, reached over 600,000 TV viewers, and generated millions of online impressions. It set national records, won five Czech Event Awards, including the Grand Prix, and sparked increased interest in youth sports across the country. The event became a defining cultural moment, inspiring thousands of young athletes and establishing a new benchmark for outdoor Olympic ceremonies.
Find out more about the grand opening here.
