St. Catherine’s British School recently opened its doors to one of the most anticipated student-led technology events of the year: StCatsHacks 2025. Across two intensive days, the campus was transformed into a hub of creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving as students tackled real-world challenges through technology.

StCatsHacks brought together students from Varvakeio Model High School, Zanneio Model High School, 2nd Middle School of Melissia, 7th Middle School of Korydallos, Arsakeio School of Patras, and St. Catherine’s British School, making the event a genuine celebration of cross-school collaboration and shared learning.

With competition categories spanning robotics, cybersecurity, Minecraft Education Edition, and open innovation aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, StCatsHacks 2025 showcased the breadth of talent, curiosity, and ambition among young innovators.

Day One: Inspiration Meets Innovation

The weekend began with student arrivals and registration, kindly supported by Navarino, who provided organised transportation and official hackathon t-shirts. Following the opening ceremony and competition briefing, students quickly immersed themselves in their projects across five categories: Minecraft World Building, Mindstorms EV3 Sumo, Line Following Robotics, Cybersecurity, and the Open Innovation Challenge.

A highlight of the opening day was the keynote address by Dr Kosmas Gazeas, astrophysicist at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. In his talk, “Towards an Intelligent Universe”, Dr Gazeas explored the intersection of astrophysics, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies, encouraging students to think boldly about the future of science and innovation.

The day unfolded with focused collaboration, experimentation, and problem-solving, supported by meals coordinated through and thanks to our sponsor, Efood, before concluding in the early evening with ideas refined and strategies set for the final push.

Day Two: The Final Sprint

Students returned on Sunday energised for the final stages of development. As laptops closed, robots were positioned, and Minecraft worlds saved, teams prepared to present their work to the judging panels.

The afternoon culminated in the Prize Ceremony, celebrating not only technical excellence, but also creativity, teamwork, and social impact across all age groups.

Celebrating the Winners

Open Innovation Competition – “From Aristotle to AI: Innovating for the 17 UN Goals”

Two teams shared first place:

• EcoGals (St. Catherine’s British School): Athina Z., Nastazia T., Ariadne P. A community-focused application enabling residents to map socio-economic challenges and collaborate on local solutions.
• Aristotellites (Zanneio School): Dimitra V., Konstantinos K., Konstantina D., Nikolas K., Eythaleia D., Achilleas P. ClimaHub, a machine-learning climate forecasting platform predicting regional temperature trends through interactive data visualisation.

First place teams shared the €1,000 prize, which was sponsored by Lancom, as well as a Starlink kit with a one-year subscription provided to each team by Navarino.

Second place was awarded to AristoTechnicians (St. Catherine’s British School) for an anti-bullying detection platform designed to support safer school environments.

Line Following Robotics (13+) won by Team Copper (St. Catherine’s British School): William A., Paris D., Charlie L., who received a €250 prize sponsored by Theatscene

Mindstorms EV3 Sumo (Ages 8–13) won by The Backstreet Bros (St. Catherine’s British School): Orestis N., Nikolas O., Porfyrios P., Patrick T., who received a €250 prize sponsored by Cosmos

Minecraft World Building (Ages 8–12) with a shared prize of €500 sponsored by CouchHeroes

• 1st Place: FFF – Alan S., Angus F.
• 2nd Place: Minecraft Mafia – Dimitra R., Josephin R., Martha S., Panagiotis S.
• 3rd Place: Oppenheimer 2 – Jack D.-P., Jin H., Lin Z.

Cybersecurity Competition – Hack the Box Challenges organised and sponsored by Neurosoft (€300 prize fund), where students worked through real-world cybersecurity scenarios in a competitive, professional-style environment.

• 1st Place: Philippo M.
• 2nd Place: Joy H.
• 3rd Place: Kostas T.

With Many Thanks to Our Sponsors

StCatsHacks 2025 was made possible through the generous support of our sponsors:

• Navarino – transportation, t-shirts, coffee capsules, and Starlink prizes
• Lancom – Open Innovation prize fund, banners, and materials
• Efood – coordination of all meals throughout the weekend
• Neurosoft – organisation and sponsorship of the Cybersecurity competition
• CouchHeroes, Theatscene, and Cosmos – category prize sponsors
•  HackCraft | Hack The Box 

Looking Ahead

StCatsHacks 2025 was a powerful reminder of what students can achieve when given the opportunity to collaborate, experiment, and innovate. From climate forecasting and community applications to robotics, gaming, and cybersecurity, the weekend highlighted both technical skill and a strong sense of purpose. The event closed with pride, inspiration, and momentum, setting a strong foundation for the next generation of innovators and for the future of StCatsHacks.