The 4th Panhellenic School Map Competition, “The place we live in. Mapping our local landmarks”, concluded its educational journey with the online Award Ceremony held on 9 June 2026, marking the successful completion of an eight-month journey of creativity, research and collaboration.
This year’s Competition recorded its highest participation since its launch, bringing together 68 schools from Greece and Greek schools abroad, 78 school projects and more than 1.200 students and teachers.
Throughout the Competition, students became young researchers and storytellers of their local communities. They carried out fieldwork, interviewed residents and experts, documented places through photography, collected oral testimonies and engaged in experiential learning activities. Their findings were transformed into original digital narratives that combined technology, local history and creative expression, highlighting the uniqueness of each place through the eyes of young people.
During the online Award Ceremony, guest speakers Mr. Nikolaos Christodoulou (Institute of Educational Policy), Dr. Nikos Labrinos (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) and Dr. Mary Belogianni (Diazoma Association) shared their insights on the value of geo-storytelling, place-based learning and the use of digital tools in geography education. They also reflected on the role these approaches play in fostering a sense of belonging and active citizenship among students.
The schools themselves were at the heart of the event. Teachers and students shared their experiences of participating in the Competition, the challenges they faced, the discoveries they made through their research and the lessons they will carry forward from this educational journey.
Spotin would like to warmly thank all participating schools, school directors, teachers and students who embraced this year’s Competition, as well as all guest speakers and members of the Evaluation Committee for their valuable contribution and dedication. Special thanks are extended to Marathon Data Systems for providing educational ArcGIS Online licences and continuous technological support, and to Koinsep Epanekkinisis for its longstanding support to the Competition and for providing technological equipment to participating schools.
All projects are available through the Competition’s Digital Library:
https://mapcompetition.gr/psifiaki-vivliothiki/
Preparations for the 5th Panhellenic School Map Competition are already underway and we look forward to welcoming teachers and students once again to this growing community of learning, creativity and geo-storytelling!
