A free solar power plant goes to Karlovac County

We have the winners of ENNA Next’s “Life with a Star” contest!

The first prize, a free solar power plant, was won by Mario Pušić from the village of Lučice in Karlovac County. The second prize, a 50% discount on a solar power plant, was won by Mateo Dragun from Kaštel Lukšić, and the winner of the third prize was Domagoj Matijašević from Vrgorac, who won a 25% discount on a solar power plant.

The ENNA Next “Life with a Star” prize competition occurred from 8 October to 30 November 2024. To enter, participants were asked to describe the biggest star in their household. A total of 2,705 entries were received.

The most creative entries were evaluated by a jury of three representatives from ENNA Next’s household and small business sales department and three from the ENNA Group’s corporate communications and marketing department.

Their task was far from easy, as numerous excellent, creative, humorous, and emotional entries were submitted. Voting took place over several rounds, and after selecting the top 100 entries, the selection was further narrowed down to 37 submissions with the highest votes. This was followed by the final voting round to determine the winners.

We want to thank all participants of the competition for taking part and hope they choose ENNA Next solar power systems and soon enjoy the free energy of our main star - the Sun!

The entries of the three winners can be found below, and we are publishing them in full, along with the accompanying photographs:

1st Prize – Free Solar Power System: Mario Pušić

(Diary of a Star)

When I left, Riko and Normi arrived. They could have done better.

Riko spilled the bag again in the drawer for socks, in the suitcase under the bed, or in the laundry basket, which is why he’s not around. The black stripes on his tiger body are wider than they are long. He looks with half-closed eyes. He appears sleepy at all times of the day and night. Sometimes, the sound of cat food being poured into his bowl used to wake him up.

Riko was adopted so he wouldn’t be left alone when his brother Normi was adopted, and Normi was adopted because he’s black, and no one else wanted him. Perhaps he is aware of this, which is why he always licks one of the family members, winding himself around their legs with his tail curled like a question mark. If he’s not asking for attention, he’s asking for food.

Mara was my favourite; I was hers, and she was mine. I miss her attention and the scratching on my belly. We would talk for hours. Well, she would talk, and I would listen. Mara is now a high school student, learning languages, reading, and dreaming about a trip to London. She says she wants to visit the Harry Potter Museum, but I know that what she actually wants is to go to a Lana Del Rey concert.

Roko was chubby. Now, he is in his final year of primary school, lifting weights and checking in the mirror every half hour to see how many centimetres he has gained in his biceps. He should be choosing a high school soon, but he has no concrete plans yet. He has, however, thoroughly planned his holidays. I miss barking with him; he used to howl beautifully and pull me by my tail. We ran many kilometres around the house chasing each other.

Mum goes to work and comes home from work. She talks about how everything is expensive. She tidies up. She asks the kids if they have finished their schoolwork. She tidies up. She asks her husband if the socks from the living room are ready to be washed. She tidies up. She goes for her weekly shopping. She tidies up. She says that prices have gone up again.

Dad, well. He watches the match. On Fridays after work, he heads out for a beer with the lads. He does not tidy up the house. He is a handyman for things that do not need a handyman anyway. Then again, he does not tidy up the house much. He calculates how much fuel his car uses per 100 kilometers, how much firewood he uses in winter, and his annual electricity usage, always coming up with innovative solutions, but he is always caught out by sleep on the couch.

Three years, six months, and 12 days have passed since I have not been with them. On my last morning, Mara asked dad if dogs go to heaven. Dad told her I was already there, that I had turned into a bright little star far away in the sky. You could say he was right.

By the way, I’m Lili, and this was a story about some truly ordinary stars that I deeply miss.

2nd Prize - 50% Discount on a Solar Power System: Mateo Dragun

We do not have a household star because our wooden and hemp house is the biggest star! Yes, you heard that right. We built a house made of wood and hemp, right here in Dalmatia... But let’s start from the beginning.

My wife Tanja and I have been striving to live sustainably for many years. We use all the resources nature provides and try to minimise our impact on the environment through our actions.

However, when we had our first two out of four boys, we realised that we needed to increase our living space, so we decided to build a house. Since we wanted to create a home with minimal environmental impact, we chose to build exclusively with natural materials. This led us to a construction system using wood and industrial hemp, which we liked at first sight.

Since I am an architect by profession, I quickly got down to work on the design of our future nest. I decided to fully adhere to the principles of a passive house and adapt them to our Mediterranean climate zone, which, unfortunately, has been more tropical than the Mediterranean in recent years.

Our house operates on the principle of the traditional Dalmatian stone house. It has very few windows on the southern facade to prevent the house from overheating in the summer, while the northern side is open to let in light. We designed a natural ventilation system by installing a chimney at the top of the house for warm air. This creates a natural airflow, where warm air rises and exits through the high windows, allowing fresh, cool air to enter.

After we completed the project and obtained the building permit, the adventure called construction began! This adventure lasted a full two years. In the meantime, we had our third son, and after we moved in this April, we welcomed our fourth son.

In front of the house, we created our own vegetable garden for growing food and a children’s playground while our electric car is charging in the parking area. Our heating and cooling systems also run on electricity.

This beautiful sustainable story would be perfectly complemented by the ENNA Next solar power plant, which would add another new dimension of sustainability to our star. We would then be ready to present our house in all relevant professional publications and other media that follow construction!

3rd prize – 25% discount on a solar power plant: Domagoj Matijašević

The star of my household is my wife.

Although I am an ambulance driver nearing retirement, worried that my damaged knees may send me into it sooner than I would like, she is the one whose sacrifice is greater than my daily pain as I transport the injured and witness scenes that many people would not know how to handle. I know I have to endure because our children need to be provided with food on the table, clothing, school fees...

But she, in her silence, is the one who truly holds up the walls of our house, our family. With sacrificed desires and dreams, without the jewellery and luxury she deserves but I cannot afford, while I carry the injured and the sick in my arms, she carries all of us on her shoulders.

The sorceress and alchemist who transforms a slice of bread into a dazzling meal, whose tight belt does not betray the sacrifice, the cleaner and our psychologist, the support and fractal of every one of our atoms, the one who remains uncelebrated... She is the star of our household and the pillar of our family. I hope that with this award, we could bring a smile to her face, because something like this would genuinely make her happy. Why? Not for her, but for our family, which would live better, and that’s the only thing she wants.