Art on the school pot

All municipal schools in Bochum - Grundschulen, secondary schools and Förderschulen - are eligible to take part.

Applications should be sent by e-mail to: schulpott@bochum.de. The application must state which toilet facility (facility for girls and/or facility for boys) is to be designed. Ideally, an initial concept should be included.

A direct application is only possible with the involvement of the school management. However, pupils and parents can encourage the school to participate and make themselves available as coordinators for the project. If an application is received, the consent of the school management is required. Contact must be established with the school.

Initially, only a little information is required:

• Which toilet facility is to be designed / where is it located?

• Initial ideas or a rough concept, possibly already photos of the system

Further information and a complete concept will be requested after an initial inspection by the Central Services on admission to the competition.

For the 2025/26 school year, applications had to be submitted by March 30, 2025 possible. Information on the next round will be provided at the beginning of 2026.

The jury pays particular attention to the following aspects:

• Participation: Pupils should play an active role in shaping the program.

• Sustainability: e.g. through upcycling or resource-saving materials.

• Creativity and impact: How much is the room enhanced by the design?

Only toilet facilities that are technically in order or can be repaired with little effort will be considered. New buildings or extensive renovations are not part of the project.

Photos of the designed toilets from the first round will be published shortly on the corresponding website.

The first round of the competition is over - and we are thrilled with the many great ideas that have been implemented with great commitment and passion.

These three schools were particularly convincing:

• Willy Brandt Gesamtschule - Winner of the main prize of 2,000 euros with two impressive designs in the style of "pot wars" and underwater world.

• Grundschule Günnigfeld - Special bonus of 1,000 euros, as each class has an individually designed cabin.

• Janusz Korczak School - Special award of 500 euros for the realization in the style of the artist group "44 Flavours".

The jury not only had a lot to evaluate on the inspection day - but also a lot of fun! Among other things, they assessed

• Participation: How actively were the pupils involved?

• Sustainability: Was the topic creatively addressed?

• Upcycling: Have materials been reused sensibly?

The application phase for the second round ran until the end of April 2025.
Many exciting proposals have already been received - we are very pleased about the great interest!

What can participating schools expect?

• 500 Euro material flat rate and basic painting equipment

• Support from Central Services for technical and practical issues

• Design period: 1st school semester 2025/2026

• Prize money for the winning school: 2,000 euros

It is important to us that the toilets are redesigned together with the children and young people - creatively, sustainably and with a desire for change!

WC facilities that are technically intact or can be repaired with little effort can take part. Please note: This is not about renovations or new buildings - and also not about the introduction of pay toilets.

The results are submitted after the design phase has been completed. Among other things, an implementation concept, photos of the processes, a brief reflection and, of course, the creativity of the results will be assessed.