Virtual reality, interactivity and robotics were the focuses of the mSchools Student Awards

• More than 500 students formed part of the 84 finalist teams that presented their technological projects at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya today
• The 24 award-winning initiatives were chosen from amongst the more than 35,000 students from 1,800 schools that participated in the mSchools programme over the course of the school year
• Elementary, ESO (Obligatory Secondary Education), Senior School and Vocational Training students competed in three categories: App Education, Mobile History Map and, new at this edition, Scratch Challenge
• The 48 App Education and Scratch Challenge winners were awarded a stay at the mSchools TechCamp to be held in July

June 10, 2017

This morning mSchools, Mobile World Capital Barcelona’s (MWCapital) pioneering mEducation programme, in collaboration with the Regional Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Hall and GSMA, recognised the 24 best technological projects carried out by students across Catalonia at the fourth edition of the mSchools Student Awards. The event brought together more than 500 Primary, Secondary, Senior School and Vocational Training students from 51 schools to recognise their work in the classroom after their participation in the mSchools programme and its different initiatives.

The competition, held at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, featured a dynamic space where students exhibited their prototypes throughout the morning, as they would at a fair. They also participated in pitching sessions in which they displayed their entrepreneurial potential before a professional panel and the public on hand.

The mSchools Student Awards honoured projects in three categories: App Education, Mobile History Map (MHM) and, new at this edition, Scratch Challenge.

The App Education category recognised the 12 best app designs and prototypes out of a total of 58 projects completed by upper Secondary, Senior School and Vocational Training students. The winning projects were chosen in the following categories: sustainable communities, inclusion, equity and sustainable education, companies and connected services, and artistic-cultural creations. The audience selected another winner, while the last one was selected based on their pitch.

The 8 winning projects out of the more than 100 presented in the MHM (an educational tool that makes it possible to geotag and work on contents of interest near schools) category were designed by Primary and Secondary students at the Escola Nostra Llar in Sabadell (with two prizes), the Escola Vedruna in Ripoll, (with another two prizes), the Institut Roseta Mauri in Reus, the Institute Guindàvols in Lleida, the Escola Marià Fortuny in Reus, and the Institut La Valira in La Seu d’Urgell.

For the first time the competition also featured a category recognising the top four projects completed by upper Primary school students. Using the free programming language Scratch, the students created interactive stories, simulations, games and animations related to the theme of Travel. The panel selected the winners based on four criteria: being the most original solution, having the most optimised code, featuring the most attractive aesthetics, and delivering the greatest social contribution.

The 48 winning App Education and Scratch Challenge students were awarded a stay at the mSchools TechCamp, the tech-oriented summer programme that will take place in July. For 10 days the students will be able to apply and build on the knowledge they acquired in the classroom in the App Education class. The 8 award-winning MHM teams received a 360-degree camera and a 360-degree video production training course.

The event was attended by John Hoffman, CEO and Director of GSMA, Ltd; Meritxell Ruiz, Minister of Education for the Regional Government of Catalonia; Dani Marco, SmartCatalonia Director for the Regional Government of Catalonia; and Aleix Valls, CEO of MWCapital.

The winners: mSchools ambassadors

Over the course of the morning the panel visited all the teams’ stands, and, after attending their pitches, selected the 24 winning projects. The categories and prize winners were as follows:

APP EDUCATION

• Sustainable Communities

ESO Winner: Collegi Salesià Sant Antoni de Pàdua in Mataró. Project: Be Your Mind

Senior School and Vocational Training Winner: Institut Roseta Mauri in Reus. Project: Robots socials, els teus nous amics

• Inclusion, equity and sustainable education

ESO Winner: Institut d’Altafulla in Altafulla. Project: Ka’ike

Senior School and Vocational Training Winner: Institut Roseta Mauri in Reus. Project: Learn & Share

• Companies and connected services

ESO Winner: Collegi Salesià Sant Antoni de Pàdua in Mataró. Project: Parkit

Senior School and Vocational Training Winner: Institut La Mar de la Frau in Cambrils. Project: sMirror

• Artistic/Cultural Creation

ESO Winner: Institut Ernest Lluch in Barcelona. Project: LUO Sharing

Senior School and Vocational Training Winner: Institut Castellet in Sant Vicenç de Castellet. Project: I’m in!

• Audience Choice

Winner: Escola Vedruna in Ripoll. Project: Avicare

• Best presentation

1st Winner: Collegi Sagrada Família in Barcelona. Project: Just Feelings

2nd Winner: Collegi Salesià Sant Antoni de Pàdua in Mataró. Project: Byow

3rd Winner: Institut Salvador Espriu in Barcelona. Project: Geofilms (Remake S.A.)

MOBILE HISTORY MAP

• “El Llocs dels Fets” Challenge:

Primary students

1st Winner: Escola Nostra Llar in Sabadell. Entry: Xemeneies. Vides emprenedores. Al despatx del vapor

2nd Winner: Escola Vedruna in Ripoll. Entry: Sant Pere de Ripoll

3rd Winner: Escola Nostra Llar in Sabadell. Entry: Xemeneies. Vides emprenedores. Al despatx del vapor

Secondary School Students

1st Prize: Institut Guindàvols in Lleida. Entry: El convent del Roser

2nd Winner: Institut Roseta Mauri in Reus. Entry: Amfiteatre de Tarragona

3rd Winner: Escola Vedruna in Ripoll. Entry: La Farga Casanova. El boig de la ciutat

• “Catalunya del s. XX” and “Emblematic Heritage Elements” Challenge:

Primary Students: Marià Fortuny School in Reus. Entry: El Carrilet

Secondary Students: Institut La Valira in La Seu d’Urgell. Entry: Sant Serni de Tavèrnoles

SCRATCH CHALLENGE

Award winners:

Escoles Minguella de Badalona. Project: La volta al món

Escola Antoni Balmanya in Barcelona. Project: Un viatge arreu del món

Col·legi Asunción de Nuestra Señora in Barcelona. Project: El millor viatge

Escola El Cim in Teià. Project: Viatge interplanetari