As part of a new and exciting European and International Schools competition “THINK SMART, CREATE GREEN”, secondary school students and their teachers are invited to get creative and entrepreneurial in exploring solutions to tackle climate change.

FIVE Irish School teams will go forward to the National Final, and the winner will compete in the International Online Final to be in with a chance to win €1000 for their team.

Why take part?

This contest aims to:

• Develop environmental awareness.
• Cultivate critical thinking and creativity.
• Encourage teamwork and social responsibility.

For Teachers this contest opens avenues for participation in Erasmus+ projects. In 2022, Ard Scoil na Mara, Tramore (Co. Waterford) was the European Winner with their project: ‘The Sustainable Way to Go’ of the age category 12-15.

Who is organising the contest?

SETU is part of an Alliance of 9 European Universities called EU CONEXUS. In Ireland, this competition is coordinated by CALMAST which is based in SETU and is the STEM Engagement Centre of the South East.

FIVE Irish Winning Teams will win EU Conexus goodies and ONE team in each category will progress to the European Online Final to compete for cash prizes.

What are the rules for entering?

Eligibility

• Teams of 3-4 pupils, led by one or two teachers.
• 2 age categories with different Task Briefs: pupils aged 12-14 (born 2011 – 2013) / pupils aged 14-17 (born in 2008- 2011).
• Original projects created by participants.
• All entries must be in English.

Prizes

• All teams that register and submit a project will receive a certificate.
• In each age category, there will be five finalists who will receive hoodies and a trophy for their school.
• The overall Irish winners will receive a sustainable art workshop with The Art Hand, and a chance to become the European Champion for Sustainability by competing Internationally!
• The International first place winners will receive €1,000 to share between the team, teacher(s) included. Second place will receive €750, and third place will receive €500.

Task Briefs

• Pupils aged 12-14: Teams will collect recycled items and make any new object. Created objects can be creative, innovative or impactful.
• Pupils aged 14-17: Teams will identify a sustainability issue in their community, and create a strategy to promote their solution.

Key Dates

The project has a number of stages (1-5) takes place across the school year, but there are a number of key dates, which are listed below.

• 28th of November 2025 (Friday) – 4 PM – Deadline for registration.
• 30th of January 2026 (Friday) – 23:59 PM CET – Application/projects submission deadline, all stages 1-5 submitted.
• 27th February 2026: Announcement of teams for National Final.
• March/April 2026 (date TBC) – National Final in SETU (physical or online).
• 27th of April 2026 – Online International Final, where one project from each country in each age category will compete to win the International final.

How to Participate – 5 Steps!

1. Information: Find out more about the competition on the EU CONEXUS website and have a look at the full rules and regulations.
2. Registration: Complete registration via Microsoft Forms before 28 November 2025.
3. Authorisation Forms: Legal guardians must sign consent forms
4. Complete a Quiz: All registered teams must watch this video https://youtu.be/l-N2kCQK-Ug and complete a 3 minute quiz: https://forms.office.com/e/1p6V9GMtuG
5. Project Submission: Submit projects by deadline January 30th 2026. Word and power point templates available at: https://www.eu-conexus.eu/en/think-smart-create-green/

For any query about the competition, please contact contact EU-CONEXUS University to Schools representative sheila.donegan@setu.ie.