The competition invited students aged 9 to 12 to imagine what ships will look like in 60 years and to express their ideas through drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs, and other creative formats. The initiative aimed not only to raise awareness of shipping’s strategic importance for Europe but also to inspire and attract the next generation of talent to our industry.

The competition received 429 submissions from 62 schools across 17 countries, showcasing the creativity and enthusiasm of young people for the maritime sector. The Top 10 artworks come from schools in Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Malta and Poland, and are featured in this dedicated publication:

Download the flyer here (PDF)

The Top 4 artworks of the European School Competition were announced during the Informal Meeting of EU Maritime Affairs Ministers in Cyprus in April 2026. The awards were presented to the students by EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Cyprus’s Shipping Deputy Minister, Marina Hadjimanolis, and the Chair of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee, Eliza Vozemberg.

A high-level jury selected the Top 4 artworks, which were awarded a special certificate:

• Evdoxia, 7th Primary School of Kastoria, Greece
• Marta, Szkoła Podstawowa nr 53 im. Fryderyka Chopina, Poland
• Nicol, A Primary School of Agios Lazaros, Cyprus
• Xiaorui, St. Edward’s College, Malta

The high-level jury was composed of Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport, Marina Hadjimanolis, Deputy Minister for Shipping of Cyprus, MEP Eliza Vozemberg, Chair of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee, Mikki Koskinen, President, European Shipowners|ECSA, Rowan Van Schaeren, General Manager, Antwerp Maritime Academy and Alberto Maestrini, Chairman, SEA Europe.

For questions, please contact us at euschoolcompetition@ecsa.eu

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