Maker Faire Rome opens MakeITcircular 2026 contest

Maker Faire Rome has opened applications for MakeITcircular 2026, a circular-economy contest tied to the Oct. 23-25 event in Rome. The winner gets 3,000 euro as Italy’s repair, reuse and recycling rules face growing pressure to improve.

Why it matters: - MakeITcircular 2026 spotlights projects that can keep products, materials and resources in use longer. - The contest targets practical circular-economy solutions, not just sustainability ideas. - The timing matters as Italy faces gaps in RAEE collection, repair access and product reuse.

What happened: - Maker Faire Rome - The European Edition opened applications for MakeITcircular 2026. - The sixth edition is part of Maker Faire Rome 2026, scheduled for Oct. 23-25 at Gazometro Ostiense in Rome. - Applications are open until Oct. 1, 2026, at 12:00. - The winning project will receive 3,000 euro. - Two honorable mentions will receive 1,000 euro each.

The details: - Eligible entries include products, services, prototypes, technologies, platforms and processes that intervene before devices become electronic waste, before materials lose value, or before still-useful goods leave use. - Eligible participants include adults, companies, entities, associations and foundations based or resident in Italy. - Projects submitted through the 2026 Call for Makers in the "circular economy" category are automatically included. - The contest covers reuse, repair and refurbishing. - The contest covers RAEE collection and recovery. - The contest covers circular textiles and upcycling. - The contest covers recovery of materials from waste. - The contest covers food-waste prevention. - The contest covers sharing platforms. - The contest covers new materials made from waste. - The contest covers traceability technologies and digital product passport solutions. - The contest also includes tools and services that improve consumer information and help citizens, businesses and communities use resources better. - Italy is among Europe’s more advanced industrial circular-economy countries, with manufacturing supply chains accustomed to using secondary raw materials and packaging recycling above 76%. - RAEE collection remains at 29.6%, below the EU target of 65%. - The repair, reuse and product-life-extension network remains fragmented. - The EU Right to Repair Directive 2024/1799 entered into force in July 2024 and must be transposed by member states by July 31, 2026. - Italy approved the government delegation through Law No. 36 of March 17, 2026. - The law shifts attention from end-of-life management to product durability, spare-part availability, repair access and information transparency. - MakeITcircular is inspired by the Carta del Consumo Circolare, created in 2021 within Eni’s Circular Lab with scientific coordination from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa and facilitation by FUTOUR. - The charter treats the consumer as an active part of a product’s life cycle through choosing, using, repairing, sharing, recovering and disposing more consciously. - The contest page is available through the official MakeITcircular application page. - More information is available on Maker Faire Rome’s site and in the dedicated Call section.

Between the lines: - The contest is designed to surface solutions that are already usable in the real economy, not concepts that still need years of development. - The policy backdrop suggests a near-term market push for repairability, traceability and longer product life. - The focus on consumer information signals that circularity is being treated as a behavior and systems problem, not only a manufacturing problem. - Previous winners show the contest can act as a launchpad for startups and research projects. - Past honorees include Too Good To Go, iotilize.me, PavinGreen and MIKTÒS. - The 2025 recognized projects also included Tech4Lib from the University of Brescia and Water Recovery/Abruzzo Technology. - Maker Faire Rome is promoted and organized by the Rome Chamber of Commerce within the PID Punto Impresa Digitale project. - Since 2013, the event has brought innovators, makers, researchers, startups, businesses, schools, universities, digital artisans and international communities to Rome.

What's next: - Applicants have until Oct. 1, 2026, at 12:00 to submit projects. - Maker Faire Rome 2026 will host the contest Oct. 23-25 in Rome. - Selected projects can use the event to gain visibility with makers, investors, researchers and circular-economy stakeholders. - The contest outcome will show which circular models are most ready to move from prototype to adoption.

The bottom line: - MakeITcircular 2026 is a small-prize contest with a broader policy signal: circularity is moving from theme to infrastructure, and repair and reuse are becoming harder to ignore.