Frederick University announces the International School Contest “Think Smart, Create Green”, organized for the sixth consecutive year by the European University Alliance EU-CONEXUS, of which our University is a member.

The contest welcomes teams of students from countries where the EU-CONEXUS partner universities are based: Cyprus, Greece, France, Romania, Ireland, Spain, Lithuania, and Croatia.
The aim of the contest is to raise students’ awareness of sustainability, particularly the sustainable development of coastal areas, to promote environmental consciousness regarding coastal regions, and to encourage students to pursue studies in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).

This year’s competition invites students aged 12–14 and 14–17 to creatively explore themes of sustainable development, green innovation, and smart technological environments.

In the 12–14 age category, students are invited to collect recyclable materials and create a new object that is creative, functional, and relevant to the themes of Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (SmUCS).

In the 14–17 age category, students are invited to identify a sustainability issue within their community, propose an innovative solution related to SmUCS and STEM, and describe the positive impact of their proposed solution.

The national winners will receive symbolic prizes from Frederick University, while the international winners will receive prizes valued at €1,000, €750, and €500 respectively.

Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (SmUCS) is at the heart of EU-CONEXUS activities in education, research, innovation, and knowledge exchange, aiming to define, understand, and address the social challenges faced by communities in urban and semi-urban coastal areas (rivers, seas, and oceans).
As part of its mission, EU-CONEXUS organizes workshops and seminars for secondary education, including the International School Contest “Think Smart, Create Green.”

Schools from Cyprus have participated in all previous editions of the competition with outstanding results. Most recently, students from Kokkinokhoria Gymnasium “Panos Ioannou” achieved third place in the international phase of last year’s contest, standing out among participants from nine European countries.

“The involvement of students in contests such as EU-CONEXUS is a wonderful opportunity for them to develop valuable skills and become more aware of sustainability issues,”
said Mr. Charalambos Theopemptou, Member of Parliament and member of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment, who served as a jury member for the national stage of the contest.

Schools interested in participating may register until November 28, and projects must be submitted by January 30, 2026.

View the contest regulations here.

Further information can be found on the official EU-CONEXUS website, where all terms, conditions, and participation forms are available. For more details, interested schools may contact Frederick University at tel. 22394394 (Ms. Christina Karaolidou Tsiattala).

EU-CONEXUS is part of the “European Universities” initiative, one of the flagship programs of the European Union, which aims to build a unified European Education and Research Area.
The network includes La Rochelle Université (France), Agricultural University of Athens (Greece), Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest (Romania), Klaipeda University (Lithuania), Universidad Catolica de Valencia “San Vicente Martir” (Spain), University of Zadar (Croatia), South East Technological University (Ireland), University of Rostock (Germany), and Frederick University (Cyprus).