The IT SPY competition for the best diploma theses has announced its finalists. We have a representative among them!

Every year, the international IT SPY competition selects the best theses in the field of computer science and information technology from leading Czech and Slovak universities. Last academic year alone, 1,400 theses of this type were defended in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is therefore no surprise that interest in participating in this year's 16th edition of the event has grown again.

Theses from our faculty traditionally participate in the final round and rank among the top entries in the competition. The deadline for applications was September 12 this year, and this week, a panel of experts selected eight theses to advance to the finals of the competition. Our faculty also has a representative in the finals. It is David Mihola, currently a doctoral student at the Institute of Computer Graphics and Multimedia, with his thesis "Smart Camera for Tracking Objects of Interest." David summarized his work for us as follows: „My thesis shows that even on a small, battery-powered device, it is now possible to solve demanding artificial intelligence tasks – specifically, vehicle detection and license plate reading. This paves the way not only for independently functioning smart sensors, but also for devices to become part of larger systems, such as smart city infrastructure.“

The final projects are evaluated by a professional jury composed of representatives from academia (Ing. Radek Kočí, Ph.D., is a member of the jury on behalf of FIT) and the IT industry. The title of Best IT Thesis of 2025 and other awards will be announced at a gala evening on November 19 in Prague.

The overall winner of the IT SPY competition will receive a prize of €2,000 from Profinit, which they can use, for example, to further develop their thesis project. The supervisor of the winning thesis will receive €200 as a thank you for the good preparation of their student. Other nominated theses will be included in the gallery of the best theses.

Yesterday, October 16, 2025, online voting in the Public Choice Award category began on the competition website. You can vote until November 17. Support David Mihola this way too!