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International competition
for schools and kindergartens
Celebrating schools and kindergartens taking action to reduce food waste
Given that a significant amount of food waste occurs at the household level, fostering awareness and responsible habits from an early age is crucial. Engaging children in understanding the value of food instills lifelong sustainable behaviors.
In the 2025/26 school year, two exciting international awards will be launched for schools and kindergartens across the foodCIRCUS project region: Austria, Italy, Hungary, Czech Republic and Poland.
1️⃣The first award (Food waste preventin in action) will shine a spotlight on existing activities and projects that have already helped reduce food waste or raised awareness among students, parents and/or teachers
Implementation
October 2025 (start submission) - January 2026 (winner announcement)
2️⃣The second is a creative challenge where children can design posters to raise awareness about food waste in a fun and visual way.
Implementation
February (start submission) - June 2026 (winner announcement)
Both awards are initiated by the Interreg foodCIRCUS consortium and come with great prizes and recognition!
The Interreg foodCIRCUS project is dedicated to reducing and managing food waste in schools and kindergartens across Central Europe.
Who can participate?
Who can participate?
All schools and kindergartens in the foodCIRCUS project region (Austria, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Czech Republic) are invited to create a poster on food waste/food waste prevention or respectful handling of food to raise awareness and/or show their engagement with the topic.
How to take part?
1) Create posters together with children that raise awareness about food waste, food waste prevention or respectful handling of food!
2) Your posters can include drawings, photos, slogans, short texts or other creative ideas. There are no strict rules: originality, clarity and relevance to the topic count.
3) Once your poster is ready, send us a digital version (scan or photo) together with the short submission form – but please pre-select in advance: Maximum 3 posters per school!
Submission Form
Submission Form
Please find the submission form in all languages HERE
Timeline
Timeline
Submission period: 15th February – 30th April
After an initial check, all projects will be prepared for the public voting.
Public voting (online): 11th May – 19nd May
All submitted posters will take part in the public voting. The top 10 poster-submissions from the public voting will be shortlisted for evaluation by the expert jury.
Jury voting: will take place in the end of May
Winner announcement: 8th June
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
✔️Clarity and impact of the food waste (prevention) - message
Does the content clearly relate to food waste and the respectful use of food? The message should fit well with the topic of food appreciation and sustainability.
✔️Visual creativity
Is the poster visually appealing and imaginative? Creative use of colors, shapes, drawings, or layouts makes the message more engaging.
✔️Active participation of children
Was the poster clearly created by children or with their active input? We value authentic expression and visible participation of young minds.
Winner Selection Process
Winner Selection Process
The winners will be determined in two steps
1️⃣First, there will be a one-week online voting phase, giving the general public the opportunity to explore the posters
From this, the 10 top-ranked projects will emerge.
2️⃣These will then be presented to an expert jury, which will select the three winning institutions based on the criteria outlined above.
Meet our Experts
The foodCIRCUS consortium is proud to present an international jury composed of experts from Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, and Italy. Each jury member brings a unique perspective – from education, science and public health to food distribution and corporate sustainability.
Their combined experience ensures a thoughtful and well-rounded evaluation of the TOP-10 submissions, honoring impactful initiatives and creative ideas from schools and kindergartens throughout the foodCIRCUS project region.
Katarzyna Gubała
Katarzyna Gubała
VegLab
Author, Educator
Copyright: Katarzyna Gubała
Dominik Heizmann
Dominik Heizmann
WWF Austria
Program Manager Sustainable Food Systems
Copyright: Johannes Zinner
Rostislav Ráček
Rostislav Ráček
Czech Federation of Food Banks
Fundraiser Manager
Copyright: Dan Alka
Eszter Csenki
Eszter Csenki
National Food Chain Safety Office
Prizes
The three winners will receive gift vouchers selected by themselves
🥇750 Euro
🥈500 Euro
🥉250 Euro
The winners will receive gift vouchers or prizes of their choice worth €750 (1st place), €500 (2nd place), or €250 (3rd place). Cash payment or conversion into other services is not possible. Prizes are non-transferable. If a designated prize is unavailable, the organizers reserve the right to provide an equivalent substitute. Legal recourse is excluded. In the Czech Republic, only non-cash prizes (no vouchers) will be awarded.
Vouchers
Vouchers
Official “Food Waste Hero” certificate
Official “Food Waste Hero” certificate
Promotion of the winning project on the foodCIRCUS website and social media
Promotion of the winning project on the foodCIRCUS website and social media
Join us in inspiring others to value food and reduce waste!
Join us in inspiring others to value food and reduce waste!
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