#FutureProofCreativity, the mini cMBA by #TheAlternativeSchool, turned autumn nights into a playground for ideas - bringing together culture, branding, contemporary design, visual thinking, and AI-driven creativity to intensively coach participants for the fast-paced international market.

At its 21st edition, the program made history by welcoming its largest number of participants yet, with over 100 applicants and 36 competing teams, including two hors concours. More than half of the participants attended on scholarships provided by the program’s supporters: Ursus Breweries and RHA & ERA, Invizibilii.ro, highlighting the initiative’s commitment to making creative education accessible to talent coming from vulnerable communities.

The ranking

1. PAPYR-US

2. ZEN

3. CREATOMANIA

4. DoBloom

5. Les Créatives

6. S² (S Squared)

7. ATAK

8. The Groovers

9. no tiny lab

10. DJ Lionesses

11. Echipa Praștie

12. BriefCase

13. Pixel Spark

14. DoubleTake.

15. Dream Team

16. Brigada de bunăstare

17. AK 47 - the creative weapons

18. Partners in Beesness

19. B&G Team

20. BY CHANCE

21. FREE MINDS

22. BearCraft Crew

23. ReBearth

24. #4HourClub

25. Double Trouble

26. KALEIIDO

27. Twins Spells Pr

28. RA_Storymakers

29. IMPACT MAKERS

30. MADEEA

31. The Bearers

32. SENA

33. SPOOKY

The three live briefs, supported by Ursus and #TheAlternativeSchool, were evaluated by 28 jurors from Romania and abroad—seasoned professionals with a track record of international recognition.

A word from the jurors

Andrian Brinovanu & Dacian Neagu - a super talented duo highly praised by the judges, are the winners of the local Young Lions competition, who will represent Romania at Cannes Lions 2026 through the Young Lions Design category.

Mihai Botarel, co-founder @RxM Creative commented on their application: “Great execution, insight, rollout. Simple, clear idea. Nicely done.” 

Adi Pasarica, Marketing Director Orkla, highlighted: “Memorable. The idea is playful, original, and strongly aligned with Ursus’ brand identity. Strategy is omnichannel, integrated, and highly shareable. Wow factor is strong: turning beer into a tangible tool for youth empowerment”. 

“The product becomes a delivery mechanism for talent. Fun object, makes a bit of fun of corporate gift culture. Simple and clear,” commented Gabriel Mihailesco.

“A fun, out-of-the-box idea. I’d also add a QR code on the can CV, so recruiters can easily follow up and check the person out online. Some might argue alcohol and hiring don’t mix—but as an object, it’s playful, and it gently pokes fun at the whole corporate-gift world,” dissected Ioana Halunga.

“This is great. Good job. I appreciate the thought process here. I look forward to seeing more of your work.”, said Manu Drosu.

Team ZEN’s work - qualified second, was really appreciated by Matei Schwartz: “I love the idea, and it is based on a powerful and relevant insight. The mechanic brings a sense of novelty for the targeted audience. And, finally, the design looks good.”, he commented. Gabriela Cretu. @VP Ursus said: “The direction is really great; I would have liked you to develop the execution further”. “I love the visuals!”, added Elisabeta Moraru, country Manager @Google.

“Unique and graphic visual take. Stops the viewer and pulls in. Can be elevated and refined.”, said Kirsten Ludwig about CREATOMANIA’s team work, qualified in the third position. “Fresh, from start to finish. strong ideas and visuals. Loving it! The fact that it's so simple and relatable gives it an even bigger impact, in my opinion.”, added Romanita Oprea.

A word from TheAlternative alumni

“Big ideas obey a golden rule: the Law of Parsimony, known as Occam’s Razor. The #TheAlternativeSchool experience trained us to cut the excess and keep only what truly matters. It was genuinely funny to see how ‘complex’ solutions become obvious only after you find the courage to drop the tricks. I deeply appreciated the rigour the programme demanded - and the clarity you earn along the way.” said Andrian.

“My experience at #TheAlternativeSchool completely reset the way I approach creativity. I had the privilege of learning from global leaders like Bob Liuzzo, who reshaped how I think about visual language in design, and Andrey Tyukavkin, who showed me what creativity looks like beyond the predictable. That infusion of know-how - from speakers actively shaping the industry worldwide - gave me the tools to turn an idea into a tightly built project. Winning the competition and the chance to go to Cannes is the validation of what I learned here.”, said Dacian.

“Tonight’s Zoom felt like it traveled around the world: from Anton in Russia, to Martin in Croatia, then to Davor sharing his perspective on hero products, and ending with Dayana, who made me want to dive deeper into the world of luxury brands. It gave me the feeling that I’d taken a little journey through each of their mindsets.”, said Andreea Bibirus.

“The module was incredible! I really enjoyed the diversity of the courses, and I think the idea of supporting students and broadening their horizons is wonderful. It was a beautiful experience, and I was truly happy to be a part of it.”, said Roxana Filip.

“Thank you so, so much for the entire module! It was simply exceptional and extremely insightful, especially because in each session we had such a diverse back-and-forth of ideas, which I loved, as it allowed me to learn something new every time. Thank you (on behalf of myself and Sabina as well) for the opportunity to connect with such extraordinary professionals from the industry!”, said Stephanie Ion.

“Thank you so, so much for the entire module! I really enjoyed every single evening, but the ones that stood out most for me were Miruna Potop, Mădălin Dragnea, and Andrey Tyukavkin - I felt the strongest resonance with them as a fellow creative. It was intense, sure, but I’ve felt extremely inspired lately, and I really needed this boost professionally. There’s honestly so much to say…”, said Cosmina Ivan.

The #FutureProofCreativity mini cMBA empowered by Ursus Breweries, was brought to life in person at the Kindful Brands event on November 5, hosted at Seneca Anticafe @empowered by Invizibilii.ro, with Tom Theys, Mihai Botarel, Robert Pelin and Teodora Migdalovici as speakers.

The next milestone in #TheAltenativeSchool journey is the launch of Creative Industry Alliance and, along with it, the launch for its first program - BAM - A Brief A Month.

BAM is a simple truth echo: international-level performance requires consistent training, not just a once-a-year “intensive update.” BAM creates a monthly rhythm of working on real briefs, with feedback and evaluation, to raise standards and build competition-grade reflexes.

Explore more here.