948 Students received Gold Awards for Outstanding Achievements
The Slovenian Association for Technical Culture (ZOTKS), partner on the INNO2MARE project, coordinated by the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (UL FS), honoured the exceptional achievements of young talents at the ZOTKA’S TALENTS awards ceremony, held at the Cankarjev Dom cultural and congress center in Ljubljana.
The event recognized students who achieved outstanding results and demonstrated exceptional knowledge in various national competitions and at the annual Young Researchers’ Meeting, all organized by ZOTKS during the 2024/25 school year. More than 1,300 participants gathered — including primary and secondary school students, university students, mentors, and other guests.
This year’s honorary patron of the event was the President of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Academician Professor Dr. Peter Štih.
The celebratory event is dedicated to honouring the best young talents — those who showcased outstanding knowledge, skills, innovation, and creativity in national competitions across diverse fields and at the ZOTKS Young Researchers’ Meeting. In the 2024/25 school year, more than 45,000 young people participated in competitions organized by ZOTKS.
Out of these, approximately 15,000 students received bronze awards, 1,577 were awarded silver, and 948 achieved gold. The most successful — those placing first, second, or third — totaled 210 students, with 160 of them taking the stage at the Gallus Hall in Cankarjev Dom. Several among them were multiple awardees: 57 students earned gold awards in two different fields, and 10 students were triple awardees, excelling across three disciplines.
The ceremony was hosted by Juš Milčinski, and the program featured performances by talented young individuals selected through a special ZOTKS talent competition. The event also included a “Faculty and Organization Alley,”where universities in technical, natural sciences, and other disciplines presented their programs alongside companies and successful projects — many of which represent ZOTKS both nationally and internationally.
The main sponsors of the event were Krka, d. d., Novo mesto and the INNO2MARE project, part of the Horizon Europe research program, coordinated by the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (UL FS).
ZOTKS Research Camps, Creative Summer Schools, and Workshops 2025
During the summer holidays, ZOTKS, together with numerous partners, organizes a wide range of events for youth across Slovenia. These activities are designed for young people who want more than what traditional classrooms offer—especially those who have excelled in academic competitions and those who have already demonstrated strong research skills.
This summer, 19 different youth research camps, workshops, and creative summer schools will take place in various Slovenian towns and cities, covering a diverse array of fields such as electronics and robotics, glass design and decorative arts, chemistry, astronomy, biology, geology, ecology, ornithology, logic, computer science, modelling, photography, archaeology, ethnology, construction, environmental studies, and architecture.
ZOTKS offers free participation in these camps, summer schools, or workshops to young individuals who achieved the best results in knowledge competitions and the Young Researchers’ Meeting, allowing them to choose the program that interests them most.
Several of ZOTKS’s activities have been part of the INNO2MARE project under the Horizon Europe framework in recent years. One of these activities will also be included in this year’s upcoming summer programs.
