Newspaper Competition: Students & Teachers Address To Vima

The critical thinking of students, their love of the written word, and their ability to produce high-quality journalistic content were once again on full display at the 2nd Pan-Hellenic and Pan-Cypriot School Newspaper and Journalism Competition. The awards ceremony, held in the “Pharos” hall at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, brought together, alongside their teachers, those who stood out from among hundreds of impressive entries submitted by their peers.

Some were familiar faces, having participated and won in last year’s competition as well, while many others were experiencing the celebratory atmosphere for the first time. All of them, without exception, were overcome with intense feelings of joy, pride, and emotion, as happens whenever small and large goals alike are achieved in life.

The competition is part of the broader development of the Student Newspapers initiative, which launched six years ago at To Vima and has since gained widespread recognition. Throughout this year’s process, which ran from October 2025 to May 2026, teenagers from every corner of Greece and Cyprus had the opportunity to express their political and social concerns, their dreams and anxieties about the future, and to articulate with clarity the thoughts and difficulties they encounter in their daily lives, having, perhaps for the first time, the conviction that they would truly be heard.

The teacher of the Unified Special Vocational Gymnasium-Lyceum of Piraeus for the school newspaper “Teen Press,” which received an honorary distinction: Aikaterini Tsoutsa, students Vasiliki Xekalaki, Omiros Avgoulis, and Nikolaos Mysias, and principal Evgenia Velagkou. Photo: SOOC

But what is the real mark that taking part in creating a publication has left on children and teachers, beyond the joy of recognition? The protagonists themselves share their experience with To Vima.

Best Newspaper Awards

The Best School Newspaper prizes were awarded to “Apochroseis” (Shades) of the Erasmios Hellenic-German School (1st Prize), “Ektos Ylis” (Off-Curriculum) of the 1st General Lyceum of Rafina (2nd Prize), and “Evangelioforos” (Gospel Bearer) of the Model General Lyceum of the Evangelical School of Smyrna (3rd Prize).

“I feel immense pride. The truth is that from the very first moment, and many times since, we dreamed of what is happening right now. From the beginning I connected very deeply with this competition because I felt it has depth, pulse, intensity, substance, and that it cultivates skills that are very important for the new generation and for people in general,” says Ms. Panagiota Balatsouка, the supervising teacher behind “Apochroseis” of the Erasmios Hellenic-German School, which won 1st Prize for Best School Newspaper.

“I felt and still feel joy that together with these children, for the coming decades, this world will be ours.”

As Ms. Balatsouка goes on to note: “The whole endeavor is tied to stories, and human lives are bound up with stories. We want to hear stories, we want to write stories. We ourselves are part of human stories. It was a wonderful experience to collaborate so closely with the children, and their maturity and professionalism impressed me greatly. I believed in them more than I believed in myself, and in many cases they were truly the backbone of the whole endeavor.”

The two junior editors-in-chief, Angelos Malioris and Diomidis Lialios, represented “Apochroseis” and their school at the awards ceremony. Says Diomidis Lialios: “It was certainly an extremely interesting experience. Coordinating and working with so many people who have different goals definitely had its challenges, but we reached the outcome we wanted.” As the son of a print journalist, he says he now understands his father better: “He was certainly an inspiration to some degree in getting me to take part in the school newspaper too, even though I don’t want to go into journalism later. I saw how much concentration the profession requires. Having to write and collaborate with others to complete an article, a report — it definitely requires a great deal of focus. You have to get yourself into the mindset for writing.”

“If we want to talk about active citizenship in schools, we cannot exclude school journalism.”

Angelos Malioris, for his part, expressed the optimism that was stirred in him not only by his participation in creating the newspaper, but also by the awards ceremony itself: “What stayed with me is the people. The conversations, the hints, the various sparks, everything that touched us through this process and brought us closer together. And I think it planted a seed of hope in our hearts for the future of this country and our generation in general. Because a very bleak image of young people is presented in the media, while through this initiative we discover the other side of the coin — that there are young people who think critically, explore, care, strive to learn the truth, feel things deeply — and that, I believe, is what matters most. And in that room, I felt, and still feel, joy that together with these children, for the coming decades, this world will be ours.”

Ms. Kantia Varela, supervising teacher of “Ektos Ylis” of the 1st General Lyceum of Rafina, which won the 2nd Prize for Best School Newspaper, expresses her gratitude for the creation of this institution: “It is a great honor for us, and I feel only gratitude toward all the people at To Vima and Alter Ego Media, as well as the judging panel and the audience who read and voted for us. I want to say a big thank you to Ms. Ypsilanti in particular, for her initiative in highlighting the importance of school journalism. Because if we want to talk about active citizenship in schools, we cannot exclude school journalism — these hives, I would say, of restless, thinking young people who observe, filter, and record.”

“There is no more intense experience I have lived in my 12 years as a student.”

How do students Nefeli Ioannidi, Ntoina Tountoreanu, and Kostis Xintaras feel about taking part in the publication of “Ektos Ylis”? Ntoina emphasizes the significance of the experience, noting that the newspaper had won 1st Prize the previous year: “Being a member of the editorial team since last year, I feel that this year we were more organized. We went on field trips for reportages, we were able to address social issues that concern us, we collaborated better, and we had real support from our teachers and the entire editorial team.”

Nefeli, a senior student, describes the whole endeavor as a very beautiful journey they lived twice: “Last year we came first, this year second. But the placing doesn’t matter. What matters is that we gained in experiences. We took lessons that will stay with us for the rest of our lives, and I believe there is no more intense experience I have lived in my 12 years as a student.”

“We truly entered a world — the world of journalism — that is fascinating.”

Kostis fully agrees with that last point: “I believe this whole experience will stay with us. The searching to find things, the writing. Planning it all out, seeing a beautiful result emerge, and being where we are now. It was a very beautiful and creative process, and the time we spent with our classmates bonded us quite a lot, I believe. We built a team and were able to explore journalism in much greater depth. I can say that we also made new friends.”

Ms. Aikaterini Tsachtsarli, supervising teacher for the newspaper “Evangelioforos” of the Model General Lyceum of the Evangelical School of Smyrna, also feels deep pride for her students: “Our students are children who are very interested in expressing themselves through words, thought, and exploration. We recognized this, we know it well, and we truly wanted them to have the opportunity to make use of this chance offered by the 2nd Pan-Hellenic and Pan-Cypriot School Newspaper and Journalism Competition of To Vima. We are thrilled that they participated actively and effectively with a fighting spirit and competitive drive, and I wish them nothing but joy and success throughout their lives.”

Danai Arzimаnoglou and Sotiris Braimis, students of the Model General Lyceum of the Evangelical School of Smyrna, represented their award-winning newspaper and school at the ceremony — and even though they had not planned on it before, both are now considering a career in journalism. “We truly entered a world — the world of journalism — that is fascinating. It is wonderful to search for the truth, as we also said in the speeches. The role of a journalist is to give citizens something that will help them in their lives. And I would like, on behalf of the entire editorial team, to thank To Vima, Alter Ego Media, and above all Ms. Tsachtsarli, our supervising teacher, who with great passion and joy helped us reach the outcome we desired — winning a prize,” said Sotiris Braimis.

Danai Arzimаnoglou also expressed her gratitude: “It was an incredible experience that we could never have lived without the whole team and the effort everyone put into this work. It was an opportunity to express our opinion, our views, to speak and be heard. And that is the most important thing of all for us.”

Best Writing Awards

Beyond the newspapers as a whole, students from across Greece and Cyprus also competed individually in To Vima’s school competition and were recognized for their substantive and well-crafted articles and reports.

The Best Writing prizes were awarded to “Student Anxiety: A Silent Companion,” by Sofia Christodoulou of the Agios Neofytos Lyceum in Paphos, published in the school newspaper “Student View”; “On the Corruption of Youth Under the Guise of Education,” by Giorgos Anastаsakos of the 1st General Lyceum of Serres, published in the school newspaper “With…Fresh Eyes”;

“‘I’m Bored’ at the Border,” by Polina Proikaki of the General Lyceum of Tychero in Evros, was published in the school newspaper “One Step More…Lucky”; and “I Live on the Edge,” by Dimitra Giamaiou of the Model Ecclesiastical Lyceum of the Patmias Ecclesiastical School, published in the school newspaper “The Voice of Patmos.”

Prizes were also awarded to “Runners Toward the Light or Resting on Laurels?” by Ioanna Iatrou of the Erasmios Hellenic-German School, published in “Apochroseis,” and “School… Behind the Wire Fences!” co-authored by students Iro Pantzo, Apostolia Papadopoulou, and Anastasia Smargianaki of the 1st General Lyceum of Rafina, published in “Ektos Ylis.”

“For me, the advantage we have is our youthful perspective, our freshness.”

Speaking with all the award-winning young people, we sensed not only their joy, but also the hope they feel that through their writing their messages will truly be heard by those who need to hear them — and that their classmates, who perhaps feel the same way, will benefit in some manner.

This is certainly the case for Sofia Christodoulou of the Agios Neofytos Lyceum in Paphos, who through her article “Student Anxiety: A Silent Companion,” published in the school newspaper “Student View,” expressed feelings and thoughts of a very personal nature: “I wrote this article because I myself live daily what I write about: the anxiety, the pressure — and through writing I tried to overcome it. I didn’t know about the competition, so it was a big surprise when my teachers mentioned it to me. But I am very proud of myself, and I thank everyone who received me and this distinction with joy. It is a very significant experience for me, and by writing this piece I feel I dealt better with the anxiety and panic attacks I experience. I also wanted to express the concerns of all the students who cannot speak for themselves. To speak on their behalf. Many people told me they identified with it.”

Ioanna Iatrou of the Erasmios Hellenic-German School, who won for “Runners Toward the Light or Resting on Laurels?” published in “Apochroseis,” expressed her preference for the written word as a means of expressing herself more freely: “For me, the advantage we have is our youthful perspective, our freshness. I believe we should write because we have opinions — and especially now, with artificial intelligence tending to do away with both the written and spoken word, the skill of writing may be crucial for the future. Personally, I prefer the written word because I feel I can better capture my emotions and thoughts. It is easier for me,” she tells To Vima.

The same need for expression through writing is felt by Giorgos Anastаsakos, who won for “On the Corruption of Youth Under the Guise of Education,” published in “With…Fresh Eyes.”

“The competition motivated the children to strive for something much bigger and different.”

“I write in my free time, or when I have worries, when I’m bored,” the student of the 1st General Lyceum of Serres tells us, and continues: “With this particular piece I wanted to take a stance, because the only easy thing in the times we live in is to point fingers at the gaps in the education system and its problems, without doing anything about them. So I tried to write this particular column — and in a satirical way, to indirectly express what we really need, what we lack. Because mocking things is the only easy option. But actually asking for what we truly need is a little difficult — though in my opinion, necessary.”

Polina Proikaki of the General Lyceum of Tychero in Evros, who won for “‘I’m Bored’ at the Border” published in “One Step More…Lucky,” was visibly moved by her recognition: “I live in a very remote border area, and the truth is that our daily life is particularly difficult,” she tells us. “I’m also in my final year of high school, so we’re all rushing around with tutoring. We have to travel great distances. The nearest tutoring center for all the students at our school is 20 kilometers away. Through the competition and the newspaper I was given the opportunity to express myself. For this problem to be heard — to show that not everyone experiences their final year of high school the same way, or the years before that, either.”

Accompanying her was her teacher, Eleni Sardanidou, who could not hide her pride for the young student: “We took part in the competition to give the children the opportunity to express themselves, to tell us what they live through, what the daily reality is for teenagers in the area — a border area that we can say has been abandoned.” She knows all too well what her students go through, having grown up in the area herself and having lived through the same things as a student, and now as a teacher and mother.

Dimitra Giamaiou also wrote about the experience of living as a student in a remote border area, with her prize-winning piece “I Live on the Edge,” published in “The Voice of Patmos.” The student of the Model Ecclesiastical Lyceum of the Patmias Ecclesiastical School is deeply concerned by the lack of easy access to medical care, as she told us: “When a child falls ill, they have to rush urgently — by helicopter or boat — to Leros or another island.” She also expressed her joy at having collaborated with all her classmates in creating the newspaper.

Her teacher, Evanthia Gaitanidis, who accompanied her on the trip to Athens, confirmed this: “The children worked as a team, and it was a very good opportunity for them to achieve something that would take them beyond the narrow confines of their island. Most young people have the impression that they are shut inside a glass jar, so to speak, of their island. Their thinking and expectations don’t reach any further. The competition motivated them to strive for something much bigger and different. Bear in mind that many of these children have never been to Athens. But through their writing they put forward their own concerns — and I think that is what wins in the end,” Ms. Gaitanidis tells us.

The prize for “School… Behind the Wire Fences!” published in “Ektos Ylis” was awarded to students Iro Pantzo, Apostolia Papadopoulou, and Anastasia Smargianaki of the 1st General Lyceum of Rafina.

Initially, Iro had been suggested by her teacher Kantia Varela to write the reportage on the school inside the Avlonas juvenile detention facility on her own — but as she told us, she chose to take it on with her two classmates: “I think it was an experience not everyone gets to live, going to a juvenile prison. It’s something I think anyone would want to write about — a surreal experience, because we had never been through anything like it before. We saw the children and the conditions in which they live, which the school principal also explained to us, and I think we captured them in the article we wrote. I was glad that we also told the inmates’ side of the story.”

Apostolia Papadopoulou, for her part, reflected on the experience: “We saw the sad reality, but also the fact that their school is very supportive and that the teachers are working to create better people and citizens, who will be able to re-enter society later.”

“We want to express our deep thanks for the opportunity given to the children to develop critical thinking, to search, to learn, to be motivated.”

Anastasia Smargianaki, from the whole process of creating the piece, singled out the fact that it was on-site reporting: “We went there in person — we didn’t just search online and look at some images. It was a more experiential piece of writing. I personally love writing, so I enjoyed the whole process. And I was glad to have the opportunity to collaborate with the girls and with Ms. Varela, who helped us enormously.” As for the classmates who read the article: “They told us they loved it and that they would have liked to have written it themselves. They wished they had come to the prison with us too,” the students tell us.

Honorary Distinctions

A total of 8 honorary distinctions were awarded to an equal number of educational institutions and students. The Comic Journalism distinction went to Maria Tsaliki of the 1st General Lyceum of Artemida “Odysseas Elytis,” for her works “Break the Cycle of Violence” and “Put a Stop to the Street Threat,” both published in the school newspaper “The SOS and Then Some.”

Maria Tsaliki says what she appreciated most throughout the whole process was the spirit of collaboration within her newspaper team: “It was a very beautiful experience. We all worked together — teachers and students — giving our best. And I am very, very happy about this honorary distinction.”

The young student has been involved with comics and drawing since childhood, and hopes to enter the School of Fine Arts, as well as pursue fashion design.

“Maria is an artist,” her teacher Chrysa Thanopoulou tells us with pride. “She has participated in other competitions too. The newspaper gave her the opportunity to showcase her work and her art. She is generally a very conscientious child who loves drawing enormously, and we have her as an assistant on the newspaper. She designed the logo and also does other sketches.”

Some students were absent, however — those of the 2nd Gymnasium with Senior High School Classes of the Avlonas Special Juvenile Correctional Facility, who were unable to attend the ceremony and receive their honorary distinction for the newspaper “Trying for Tomorrow.” Their teacher and principal, Anastasia Peppa, collected it on their behalf.

“There is an urgent need to first and foremost shape human beings with a sense of responsibility, and only secondarily to shape operators of digital tools.”

Speaking to To Vima alongside the colleagues who accompanied her, she clarified that their school does not differ in terms of curriculum, timetable, subjects, or syllabus from any other school — which is why their students receive the exact same diploma and sit the national university entrance exams under the same conditions. She does add, however: “The essential part is that the relationship we have with our students and the work we do with them goes beyond the limits of the standard curriculum on a daily basis, and we do many things together outside of it. One of those things is the student newspaper, which existed even before the To Vima awards competition.”

Honorary distinctions were also awarded to special education schools. The Unified Special Vocational Gymnasium-Lyceum of Agios Dimitrios was recognized for its newspaper “After the Bell,” the Unified Special Vocational Gymnasium-Lyceum of Chania for “NEWSPAPER E.N.E.E.GY.-L.,” the Vocational Special Education Workshop of Trikala for “COLORFUL PEN,” the Unified Special Vocational Gymnasium-Lyceum of Piraeus for “Teen Press,” the Unified Special Vocational Gymnasium and Lyceum of Loutraki for “THE VOICE of Corinthia,” and the Vocational Special Education Workshop of Edessa for “EEEE-ducational News.”

Students and teachers from these schools spoke with great joy about their achievement. As teacher Katerina Tsoutsa of the Special Gymnasium-Lyceum of Piraeus told To Vima: “Our goal this year was to also highlight our school’s specialties — which are Agriculture and Computer Science — so we talked about the environment. We had the children write their articles, tell us their opinions, and even come up with topics themselves. We also made comics, again about the environment. We want to express our deep thanks for the opportunity given to the children to develop critical thinking, to search, to learn, to be motivated.”

Student Nikolaos Mysias shares his joy at participating in the endeavor: “I personally felt very fulfilled by all of this, and by sharing it with the other children at school. We made the effort all together, as a team.”

His classmate Vasiliki Xekalaki said that she and her classmates gave everything for their newspaper: “We did whatever we could, we collaborated, each one brought their own idea, and we managed, to the best of our ability, to create the best school newspaper of 2026.” As for the future, she is thinking of pursuing a career as an occupational therapist, to help other people the way other professionals are helping her right now.

Principal Evgenia Velagkou shared some thoughts with us: “In an era when handwritten language is fading, print journalism is also gradually fading. It is fighting its own battle against digital reality in the digital world. We completed the design and publication as coordinating teachers with that same principle that dominated the traditional school — a principle that for many might seem a little old-fashioned, but which is now becoming an urgent need: to first and foremost shape human beings with a sense of responsibility, and only secondarily to shape operators of digital tools.”

Students Georgios Spyropoulos and Dimitrios Kardamis expressed their joy at participating, with the former noting that despite the difficulties they faced, they succeeded with the help of their teachers.

One of those teachers, Georgios Matsianoudis, said: “We are very happy about the prize. Even though it is the journey that counts, the distinction gives us a lovely motivation to continue. The newspaper was essentially a space for the children to say what they want and what they experience at school. The articles emerged from our activities, and through this process the children collaborated and fundamentally came to believe that their voice has value and that we will listen to them.”

This, in the end, is the competition’s most significant achievement: giving voice to young people and ensuring that the student community will always have its own authentic space in which to express itself creatively.