European Statistics Competition

After months of stiff competition, the results of the European Statistics Competition are finally in. But let's rewind briefly to where it all began...
In October 2017, Eurostat and 11 National Statistical Institutes jointly launched the first European Statistics Competition of its kind. Over 11 000 students aged 14-18 took part. They had to solve statistical problems, search for data and produce statistical analyses. The top 180 students qualified to represent their countries in the final European round. This required them to produce two-minute videos on why official statistics matter in our societies today. And they rose to the occasion, submitting incredibly creative and entertaining videos.
To help select the winning teams from such talented contributions, Eurostat and the National Statistical Institutes were honoured to draw on the expertise of the European selection committee. Given the high quality of the videos, this was not an easy task. But after lengthy deliberations, the jury was swayed by two contributions that stood out for their ability to tell a compelling, fun and accurate story.
Winners of the 14-16 age group
Team Pakila9D takes first place in the junior age group (14-16). Their video features two students talking to each other about the uselessness of statistics. Another student overhears this and intervenes. Through witty dialogues, drama and real-life examples, he explains why official statistics matter for politics, society and the individual. In the end, he convinces his critical peer and, with him, the jury.
Team JML finishes strongly in second place, while third place goes to team Moc_zbioru. The videos showcase the diversity of the submissions, ranging from student presentations to cartoon animations. In both cases, the jury felt that the level of curiosity invoked by these submissions, together with their informative nature, truly made them stand out. The same goes for the remaining two contributions in the jury's top 5 from team CAT5 and team Leostat.
Winners of the 16-18 age group
In the senior age group (16-18), first prize goes to team toivasnik. In their contribution, the students explore the role of official statistics in politics and underline their importance in providing unbiased facts for decision-makers. Through clever jokes and engaging visuals, they communicate their message so effectively, that the jury was compelled to listen to it.
A close second place goes to team Hypothesis, while team Leonardo finishes strongly in third place. In both videos, the transposition of theory into practice astounded the jury, which was impressed by the content and level of creativity. The jury also felt strongly about the remaining two contributions of its top 5 from team Matinfy and team ALFEGMS3.
The two winning teams will be invited to the Q2018 conference in Krakow on 26 June, where they will receive their award from Mariana Kotzeva, Director-General of Eurostat.
The initiative aims to promote awareness of sound statistics in an age of fake news. It does so by promoting statistical literacy and curiosity among students, while encouraging teachers to use new educational materials based on official statistics.
The jury
Alan Smith, Financial Times, expert in data visualisation
Alexios Mantzarlis, director of the International Fact-Checking Network at the Poynter Institute
Ineke Stoop, Netherlands Institute for Social Research and chair of the European Statistical Advisory Committee
Kerstin Hänsel, Head of the division on communication strategy, marketing and corporate design at Destatis, Germany
Olga Kusnierska, Head of Communications at the Schwarzkopf Stiftung
Rob O'Donnell, Board Member of Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU)
Sonia Livingstone, Professor of Social Psychology at the Department of Media and Communications of the London School of Economics
Tim Allen, Acting Head of the Communication Unit at Eurostat
For more information, go to www.eso2018.eu.
You can also explore more contributions on the ESS Facebook page.

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About ESC
What is the European Statistics Competition (ESC)?
ESC is a new competition organized by Eurostat and volunteering NSIs to promote statistical literacy, curiosity and interest in official statistics among students and teachers.
The main ESC objectives are to promote curiosity and interest in statistics among students, to encourage teachers to use new materials for teaching statistics by promoting the use of real data provided by official statistics and search for applications of acquired statistical knowledge. Moreover, it aims to show the role of statistics to students and teachers in various aspects of society, and to promote teamwork and collaboration among students to achieve common goals.
The competition will be structured in two phases: national and European. The finalists of the national phase of each country are eligible to take part in the European phase. The language of the national phase will be the local language, while the European phase will be held in English.
The national competition will take place during the school year 2017/2018 and the European final in May 2018.

RULES
The European Statistics Competition is open to all secondary education students. Participation will take place in two categories:

• Category A: students in the last two courses of secondary education (approx. 16-18 years old).
• Category B: students in the first two courses of secondary education (approx. 14-16 years old).

Participation is free of charge.
Students will work in teams of a maximum of 3 people, all of them from the same school and category. All teams must have a teacher from their school acting as a tutor to accompany them and supervise their work.

Rules for the national phase (only in Slovene)
Rules for the European phase (only in Slovene)
Examples of assignments (national phase)
First assignment:
Test 1. The basic knowledge test (only in Slovene)
Test 2. The use of official statistical data sources test (only in Slovene)
Test 3. The interpretation of statistical reports test (only in Slovene)
Second assignment:
Data file and instructions (only in Slovene)

CALENDAR
National phase:
Registration period: from 30 October 2017 to 12 January 2018.
Testing period for the first assignment: from 15 to 26 January 2018.
Publication and communication of the results of the first assignment: 30 January 2018.
Submission of the second assignment: from 31 January to 20 February 2018.
Announcement of winning teams: 20 March 2018.
European phase:
Registration period: from 9 to 13 April 2018.
European assignment period: from 16 April to 4 May 2018.
Presentation of outputs (videoconference): 18 May 2018.
Announcement of winning teams: 23 May 2018.
Trip to the Q2018 Conference in Krakow, Poland: from 27 to 28 June 2018.

PRIZES
National phase:
The winning teams of the national phase – one from Category A and one from Category B – will receive the following prizes:
For the tutor of the winning team: tablet, a number of statistical publications and promotional material.
For each student of the winning team: tablet, a number of statistical publications and promotional material.
Each participant in ESC will receive the following: T-shirt, pencil, bag, chocolate.
All members of the winning teams will receive a diploma.
European phase:
Each member of the two winning teams of the European phase (categories A and B) will receive the following prizes: a laptop, a set of publications and promotional material from Eurostat, a winner diploma.
The award ceremony will be held at the European Conference of Quality in Official Statistics (Q2018) that will take place in Krakow (Poland), from 27 to 28 June 2018. (Expenses of the trip to the award ceremony are included in the prize).

PARTICIPATION
To register your team, please visit this site: http://www.eso2018.eu/eso_SI/reg_index.do
To access the national phase assignments please visit: www...(available after 15 January 2018).

CONTACT
If you have any questions regarding the European Statistics Competition, please contact us at: statigre.surs@gov.si.

More about European Statistics Competition is available on English page ESC.