Members of the Organising Committee, the German University Sports Federation (adh), politicians and renowned artists were on the expert panel which judged the entries and arrived at an impasse. Two designs received the same number of votes, resulting in a tie.
The solution? Both pairs will now come together to design a joint torch for use in the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU Games Flame Relay.
After consultation with the respective design teams, it was clear that the two separately developed torches could be fused together perfectly as one - and everyone involved is already looking forward to the next steps of the collaboration.
©Christian and Julia Stratmann
Christian (23) and Julia Stratmann (25) are siblings from Sprockhövel, Germany. Christian is studying industrial design at the University of Wuppertal, while Julia is studying architecture and urban planning at the TU Dortmund. Fabian Arnold (27) and Victor Gorelik (36) are design students at the HFG Offenbach.
In the coming weeks the winning pairs will get to know each other and fine-tune the hybrid design alongside a team of artists at a specially convened workshop.
The winning teams will receive ten tickets to the Opening Ceremony of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games Summer. In addition, they will be presented with a surprise package from the official Rhine-Ruhr 2025 merchandise shop and an original Torch used in the Flame Relay.
©Fabian Arnold (left) and Victor Gorelik