Instructions
- Arrange yourselves into a team of 3 or 4 people – at least three of the team members must be students
- Come up with a Team Name – EXTRA 5 POINTS FOR CREATIVITY
- All tasks (except the last one) are worth one point.
- You must submit your answers, including photographs, as a PDF file to info AT evostar DOT org no later than 10pm on Thursday
- You should try and complete as many of the tasks as you can – don’t worry if you can’t manage all of them.
- Each task is worth 1 point, unless otherwise stated
Our team of judges (Leonardo Vanneschi, Anna I Esparcia-Alcázar and Christina Berghegger) will decide the winners and present prizes at the closing session.
Tasks
- Get a picture of your team together at the student welcome reception and post it on social media tagging EvoStar and Species and using the tag #evostar2026 .
- Get a picture of a member of your team making an oral or poster presentation.
- Get a picture of what you think is the best poster that doesn’t belong to a member of your team.
- Get a picture with at least 3 past local organisers of EvoStar.
- Get a picture with the person who has travelled the farthest to get to the conference (state how far they travelled).
- Get a picture with at least 3 winners of the EvoStar Award +1 POINT FOR EACH ADDITIONAL WINNER
- Get a picture with a past Best paper award winner (state the year and event)
- Find and photograph the 24-hour clock in central Toulouse. Clue: it’s on a very famous building. A team member must be in the photo.
- Find one of the fish ladders (passes a poissons) on the Garonne river. These allow migratory fish to pass the weirs — a small feat of bio-inspired engineering.
- Photograph the colourful plastic figurines displayed on Pont Neuf or along the quays of the Garonne.
- Settle the great debate: ask at least 5 local people whether they say chocolatine or pain au chocolat. Document the results with photos of your interviewees. Report the final tally in your submission.
- Toulouse is the rugby capital of France. Find something Stade Toulousain-related — a jersey, a shop, a fanzone, a mural — and photograph a team member with it.
- Spot an Airbus Beluga aircraft — the wide-body transporter unique to Toulouse. +2 bonus points if it is in flight. +3 bonus points if it is a BelugaXL.
- Find the wild chickens living freely in the Jardin des Plantes and photograph your team with them. A genuine colony of free-range hens in the city centre — true swarm behaviour.
- Ride a VeloToulouse bike-share bicycle — all team members visible in the photo. +1 bonus point if the whole team is riding simultaneously.
- Peek into the courtyard of a hotel particulier in the old city and photograph the architecture. The city centre hides beautiful Renaissance arcaded courtyards behind plain street doors.
- Photograph the Pyrenees from Toulouse. On a clear day they are visible from several high points. If weather is bad, find the sign or viewpoint marking the direction and photograph that instead — same points.
- Visit the Mediatheque Jose Cabanis, one of Toulouse’s most striking modern buildings, and pose with the most interesting book you find.
- Have a drink at Chez Tonton, the most legendary student bar in Toulouse, a few steps from UT Capitole. Team photo at the bar required. Soft drinks count.
- Visit the rooftop of the Carmes car park for a panoramic view of the terracotta rooftops of the old city. +1 bonus point if you can spot the Pyrenees from up there too.
- Play (or watch) a game of petanque near the Basilica of Saint-Sernin. The bar next door lends out boules if you buy something to drink. +1 bonus point per dog photographed at the famous dog meetup nearby (maximum 5 bonus points).
- Chill on the banks of the Garonne — the true Toulousain pastime. Team selfie required.
- Rewrite the lyrics of a French classic — La Vie en Rose, Les Lacs du Connemara, or a song of your own choosing — replacing the theme with EvoStar, bio-inspired AI, or Toulouse. The more verses, the more convincing your case for maximum points. The judges reserve the right to request a live performance at the closing session. – EXTRA 5 POINTS