Emblem News

Emblem represents Luxembourg at the European Charlemagne Youth Prize 2026

Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Emblem: Digital Souvenirs was honoured to represent Luxembourg in Aachen at the European Charlemagne Youth Prize 2026 with the Luxembourg Youth for Peace Passport, selected as Luxembourg's National Winner. The Luxembourg Youth for Peace Passport is Emblem's first cultural passport. Supported by UNESCO through the Youth for Peace programme, it invites people to collect digital souvenirs, or emblems, around Luxembourg by physically visiting meaningful places and discovering the stories, artists and cultural layers connected to them. The European Charlemagne Youth Prize is organised by the European Parliament and the Foundation of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. It recognises youth-led projects that promote European democracy, active citizenship, cooperation and understanding between people in Europe. Every year, national winners are selected from EU member states before the European laureates are announced in Aachen. In the official 2026 project summaries, Luxembourg's national winner is listed as Emblem - Digital Souvenirs - Luxembourg Passport. Thank you to UNESCO and the Youth for Peace programme for supporting the Luxembourg Passport project, to Luxembourg, to the European Parliament, to the Youth Charlemagne Prize team, to the artists who helped bring these cultural stories to life, to the city of Aachen and to all the other National Winners met during the programme. During the speech, Emblem was presented as a tool for understanding and respect, educating people about the planet and the cultural differences that make it unique.

Emblem featured in Revue magazine

Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

We are proud to announce that Emblem: Digital Souvenirs has been featured in Revue magazine in Luxembourg. The article presents the story behind Emblem and explores how the platform is reimagining souvenirs through digital art, cultural storytelling, and location-based discovery. Through the Emblem app, users can unlock collectible digital artworks known as emblems by physically visiting meaningful places and learning more about their history, identity, and culture. The feature highlights the growing Luxembourg Passport project, which brings together local artists, cultural locations, and interactive experiences across the country. Each emblem is connected to a real place and created by artists who help represent Luxembourg through their own artistic perspectives. The article also explores the origins of the project, inspired by Daniel Michels' experiences traveling and visiting Expo 2020 Dubai, where the idea of transforming traditional souvenirs into digital cultural memories first emerged. In addition, Revue highlights Emblem's broader vision: creating a platform that promotes intercultural dialogue, supports artists, and encourages people to discover places in a more meaningful and engaging way through art and technology. The Luxembourg Passport project is currently supported by the Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme 2025-2026. We would like to sincerely thank Laura Tomassini and Hervé Montaigu for the interview, article, and feature. To read excerpts from the article and discover more behind the project, visit Emblem on Instagram.

The Jacques Schneider Passport is now live in Emblem

Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Emblem is proud to introduce the Jacques Schneider Passport, a new digital passport dedicated to one of Luxembourg’s most recognisable contemporary artists. This launch marks an important step for Emblem. For the first time, a passport is built around the artistic universe of a single Luxembourgish artist, turning his vision of the country into a collectible cultural journey. Through the Jacques Schneider Passport, users can discover Luxembourg through a series of emblems connected to meaningful places, symbols and stories. Each emblem becomes a digital souvenir that can be collected in the Emblem app by visiting real locations. Jacques Schneider’s work is deeply connected to Luxembourg’s identity, memory and human values. His artistic language often reflects the country’s symbols, landscapes, heritage and sense of belonging. In recognition of his contribution, Jacques Schneider was named Knight of the Order of Civil and Military Merit of Adolph of Nassau, a distinction that highlights the importance of his artistic journey in Luxembourg’s cultural landscape. The Jacques Schneider Passport invites collectors to experience Luxembourg not only as a place to visit, but as a place to interpret, remember and carry with them. Inside the passport, users can discover emblems connected to real places in Luxembourg, collect digital souvenirs through the Emblem app, explore Jacques Schneider’s artistic vision, and connect locations, artworks and memories inside one cultural journey. The passport also reflects Emblem’s wider mission: to transform cultural discovery into something interactive, artistic and meaningful. Instead of collecting disposable souvenirs, users can collect digital memories connected to real places and local creative voices. The Jacques Schneider Passport is now available in Emblem. Open the app, explore the passport, and start collecting Luxembourg through the eyes of Jacques Schneider.

Inside the Luxembourg Passport: How quizzes, stars, and title rewards work

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Every emblem in Luxembourg Passport YFP includes a five-question quiz, and each official result feeds directly into the star and title system that powers progression across the passport. In Emblem, quizzes turn collection into cultural learning rather than simple accumulation. Each emblem quiz contains five questions and a maximum score of five stars, while official attempts are paced and practice mode remains available for learning without affecting saved stars. Titles are the visible reward layer of the passport. They are not just stored in the background; a selected title can be shown on a user profile under the person's name. A real title example already used in the app is Luxembourger. Other examples in the wider system include Italian, Romanian, and Brazil Expert. Real Luxembourg quiz questions already ask things like what Äddi means in Luxembourgish, what makes the Schueberfouer culturally significant, and which symbol best represents memory, sacrifice, and resistance. The larger point is that the Luxembourg Passport is designed as a cultural learning system, not only a collection interface. The quiz layer turns visits into participation, while the title layer turns that participation into visible recognition.

The Luxembourg Passport by Emblem Is Now Live

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Luxembourg Passport YFP is now live through Emblem, turning real places across Luxembourg into a GPS-verified cultural passport with artist-made emblems, quizzes, stars, and title rewards. The launch establishes Luxembourg as the flagship public route of the platform. The Luxembourg Passport transforms the way people move through the country. Instead of simply visiting places, users are invited to engage with them. Across Luxembourg, real locations are now connected to artist-created digital emblems, each one representing a unique interpretation of a place, a story, or a cultural moment. These emblems are not generic icons. They are designed by artists, shaped by context, and meant to capture something meaningful about where they are found. To collect them, you have to be there. This simple mechanism changes everything. It turns the act of exploring into something intentional, something memorable, something personal. The Luxembourg Passport is not only about collecting digital souvenirs. It is designed as a layered experience. Users can discover places through curated cultural routes, learn through quizzes that test and expand their knowledge of Luxembourg, unlock title rewards as they progress, and be guided across the city and beyond. This makes the app more than a tool. It becomes a companion. For a newcomer, it offers orientation. For a tourist, it offers depth. For a local, it offers rediscovery. The goal is simple: to help people connect with Luxembourg in a more meaningful way. At the core of the Luxembourg Passport are the artists. Each emblem is an artistic interpretation, not a standardized representation. This ensures that the platform reflects diversity, creativity, and authenticity rather than flattening culture into uniform visuals. By integrating artists directly into the experience, Emblem positions them as cultural storytellers. Their work becomes part of how people understand and remember a place. This approach creates a new kind of ecosystem where culture, tourism, and art intersect. The Luxembourg Passport is implemented with support from the Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme (2025 to 2026). Within this framework, the project stands as a community-driven cultural initiative, locally grounded and internationally connected, while remaining independently developed and led by Emblem. This launch does not represent a finished product. It is an early version that will evolve over time. There are imperfections, features still to be improved, and ideas yet to be implemented. But there is also something important in launching now: building openly, learning from users, and allowing the platform to grow through real-world use. At its core, the Luxembourg Passport introduces a new layer to the city: one made of stories, symbols, and shared experiences. It invites people to slow down, to look again, to ask questions, and to engage with their surroundings in a different way. The Luxembourg Passport is only the first step. The long-term vision extends beyond a single country toward a global network of cultural passports, each rooted in local identity but connected through a shared platform. The Luxembourg Passport is now live. You can start exploring, collecting, learning, and experiencing Luxembourg in a new way. It is far from perfect. But it is real. And it is just the beginning.

Learn more about Daniel Michels, selected among 8,250 applicants for UNESCO's Youth for Peace programme

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

UNESCO's official profile for Daniel Michels states that the founder of Emblem: Digital Souvenirs was selected among 8,250 applicants for the Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme 2025-2026. The profile connects that selection to Emblem's wider mission of turning places, memory, and culture into artist-made digital souvenirs. His selection places him among a global group of young leaders recognized for proposing innovative responses to contemporary intercultural challenges. Through his participation in the programme, Michels brings forward a vision in which culture can serve as a bridge between people, helping foster understanding in a world often shaped by division, misrepresentation, and disconnection. At the heart of his work is the belief that every culture carries symbols of memory and meaning, and that these should be shared in ways that are accessible, creative, and respectful. With Emblem, Michels seeks to reimagine the souvenir as a cultural encounter: one that supports artists, values local narratives, and invites people to see one another through culture rather than prejudice. His story is also shaped by personal experience. Born in Brazil and later reconnecting with his Luxembourgish roots, Michels spent years studying, learning languages, and traveling across different regions of the world. These experiences reinforced his conviction that culture is one of the most powerful tools for mutual recognition and peaceful coexistence. Through UNESCO's Youth for Peace platform, Daniel Michels joins a new generation of changemakers working to build more connected and inclusive societies through dialogue and creativity. Learn more about Daniel Michels and his work through Emblem: Digital Souvenirs.

The Inspiration Behind the Emblem Logo: From Dubai's Portals to Osaka's Reimagined Vision

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

At Expo 2020, the portal was more than an entrance. Its monumental yet minimal geometry framed the world beyond it, creating a powerful visual and psychological moment. Visitors were invited to step through, to transition from observers into participants in a global cultural exchange. This idea became the foundation of Emblem, developed in 2022. The logo translates this architectural gesture into a digital form. It captures the notion of a framed passage, using perspective and depth to suggest movement inward. It is not a static symbol. It is an invitation. Each emblem becomes a gateway into a place, a story, and a culture. At the same time, the logo redefines the traditional concept of an art frame. Rather than separating the artwork from the viewer, it functions as an opening. The frame becomes a point of entry, connecting the viewer directly to the cultural meaning behind the work. This reflects the core philosophy of Emblem: art as a portal to culture and cultures. Through each emblem, users do not simply observe a destination. They enter it through artistic interpretation, engaging with its identity in a deeper and more meaningful way. This vision finds a compelling parallel in Expo 2025 Osaka, held in 2025. At the Osaka Expo, the idea of the portal appears to be reimagined in a form that closely mirrors the Emblem logo itself. Reduced to a pure geometric frame, the structure emphasizes perspective, openness, and passage. It reflects the same conceptual ambition: to create a moment of transition, a gateway into experience. The resemblance is not merely visual. It is philosophical. Both the Emblem logo, created in 2022, and the Osaka reinterpretation of the Expo portal in 2025 share the same underlying idea: that a simple frame can become a powerful symbol of entry into culture. What began as an architectural language in Dubai evolves into a universal concept, one that Emblem adopts and transforms into a digital experience. In this sense, Emblem does not simply reference these structures. It extends their meaning. The portal is no longer only something you walk through. Through Emblem, it becomes something you collect, carry, and experience through art.

Emblem is listed as Luxembourg's national winner in the 2026 Charlemagne Youth Prize

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Emblem - Digital Souvenirs - Luxembourg Passport is listed as Luxembourg's national winner on the 2026 European Charlemagne Youth Prize winners page. The recognition places the project in a European context focused on youth-led initiatives with civic and cultural impact. For Emblem, the recognition reinforces the project's direction: using digital souvenirs, local artists, and guided cultural discovery to create more meaningful relationships between people and place. It also helps position Luxembourg Passport as a cultural format with relevance beyond a local pilot. The listing adds to a broader sequence of recent milestones around Emblem's work, including university recognition, programme support, and international media visibility. Together, these signals strengthen the public case for Emblem as a long-term cultural and tourism platform.

"Truly Impressive": UNESCO Spotlights Emblem

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

On March 16, 2026, UNESCO published the story "Sparking dialogue on Luxembourg's streets, one emblem at a time," featuring Emblem's Luxembourg Passport in its official Youth for Peace web story series. The article describes the project's progress as "truly impressive" and frames it as a promising response to contemporary intercultural challenges. Through artist-created digital emblems linked to real locations, Emblem invites residents, newcomers, and visitors to explore Luxembourg's cultural landscape while transforming everyday places into shared cultural reference points. The feature follows UNESCO's review of interim reports, where projects across the programme were evaluated for "strong activities" and "early achievements." Emblem was identified among those demonstrating the most compelling momentum, leading to its inclusion in UNESCO's official web story series designed to "amplify" impactful initiatives and "encourage wider audiences to engage" with them. While independently developed, the Luxembourg Passport gains international visibility through this recognition, reinforcing its role as a cultural platform responding directly to the realities UNESCO has identified.

Miguel Curtido Linares Departs Emblem to Join Ferrero Group

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Miguel played a key role in the early development of Emblem, contributing significantly to the creation of the application and the successful launch of the platform. With his technical expertise, he helped transform the initial concept into a working product, enabling users to begin collecting digital souvenirs linked to real-world locations. His departure marks the conclusion of an important phase in Emblem's journey. His contributions during the foundational stage of the project are acknowledged and appreciated. Following this transition, Emblem will continue its development under the leadership of its founder, Daniel Michels. The project remains fully active and will move forward with its mission to connect cultures through digital souvenirs and artistic expression. Emblem wishes Miguel all the best in his new role at the Ferrero Group.

Youth for Peace support helps advance Emblem's Luxembourg Passport project

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT

On August 27, 2025, UNESCO announced that Daniel Michels was selected as one of 50 young and emerging leaders from 8,250 applications for the inaugural Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme. That selection created the support framework behind Emblem's Luxembourg Passport project for 2025-2026. For Emblem, this matters because the Luxembourg Passport project is implemented by Daniel Michels with support from the Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme (2025-2026). The support is important, but the project itself remains Emblem's own cultural initiative rather than a UNESCO-owned project. The programme connection gives the work international context while staying aligned with UNESCO's branding guidance. It reflects support for the project's intercultural mission, especially its effort to connect tourism, local artists, and cultural storytelling through a portable digital format.

University of Luxembourg spotlights Emblem's digital souvenir vision

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

On 8 October 2024, the University of Luxembourg published a feature on Emblem and its founding story. The article introduced the project through the work of Daniel Michels and Miguel Curtido Linares, explaining how Emblem rethinks souvenirs as digital collectibles shaped by place, memory, and artistic interpretation. The university article is important because it documents the project's entrepreneurial roots inside Luxembourg's academic ecosystem. It also captures the product logic clearly: visitors discover a location, unlock an artwork through presence, and keep a collectible digital reminder that carries emotional and cultural meaning. That early institutional visibility helped frame Emblem as more than a travel utility. It presented the project as a cultural platform with room to support artists, partnerships, and future formats such as passports, thematic routes, and richer forms of creative media.

Emblem wins My Big Idea and advances to Ideation Camp 11

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMT

On 8 December 2023, the University of Luxembourg published its Ideation Camp 11 coverage and confirmed that Emblem had won the My Big Idea competition. The team of Daniel Michels, Miguel Curtido Linares, Saad Shakeel, and Pit Baumgot received a 1,000 EUR cash prize and advanced into the university's entrepreneurship pipeline. This milestone matters because it marks one of the first formal recognitions of Emblem's concept inside Luxembourg's startup and academic environment. It validated the early premise that travel memories, local culture, and digital collectibles could be brought together in a more meaningful souvenir model. The My Big Idea win also helped set up the next phase of development. It gave the team momentum, visibility, and a clearer pathway into the mentoring and ecosystem support that would shape later versions of the product and the Luxembourg Passport collection.