Cyprus’ next generation of roboticists took centre stage at this year’s Robotex MRC 2025 Awards Ceremony, organised by the Cyprus Computer Society (CCS) and hosted by the Bank of Cyprus (BoC).

The ceremony, October 15, brought together young innovators, educators and partners to celebrate the winners of the 8th Robotex Cyprus Robotics Competition and the 2nd Minoan RobotSports Competition (MRC), both of which were held in June under the auspices of President Nikos Christodoulides. 

Before the main event began, more than 400 attendees enjoyed a lively atmosphere, taking photos at the AI Photobooth and testing their skills in the JOEY Memory Game and Rubik’s Cube contests, all hosted by the BoC.  

The winners of these fun challenges were later announced by Elli Ioannidou, the bank’s Director of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), adding to the sense of celebration in the room. 

To open the ceremony, Constantina Achilleos, president of the Youth Organisation, one of the event’s co-organisers, welcomed participants and supporters.  

This was followed by a greeting from Marilena Paraskeva, Head of Funding Programmes at the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF), speaking on behalf of its Director General.  

Both the RIF and the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy support the event as diamond sponsors, reinforcing Cyprus’ commitment to technological advancement and youth innovation. 

The programme then continued with an overview of the European projects in which CCS is actively involved.  

As Toumazis Toumazis, the society’s Projects Officer of CCS explained, “these initiatives aim to promote and expand the island’s ICT sector for everyone, ensuring inclusion across all ages and backgrounds.” 

Following this, the spotlight turned to the Volunteer Award Ceremony, presented by Andreas Loutsios, president of CCS.  

The awards recognised individuals who have contributed their time and expertise since the very first Robotex Cyprus in 2017, as well as coaches, trainers and educators who continue to dedicate themselves to mentoring and inspiring young minds.  

Their collective efforts, he noted, have helped shape a strong and inclusive robotics community in Cyprus. 

As the evening progressed, attention shifted to the main awards and the 180 students and adults who distinguished themselves across more than 25 challenges in the national finals.  

Their trophies, designed and produced by Robo, were presented by representatives of partner organisations, including the University of Cyprus, IET Cyprus, the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, the Cyprus scientific and technical chamber (Etek), and ECCOMBX, which has been strengthening CCS initiatives this year. 

Corporate partners such as the Bank of Cyprus, XM, Neapolis University Pafos, Hellas Sat, Kardex, ICDL, Novatex, ZEBRA and Netinfo also played a key role in supporting the event.  

Meanwhile, high-school winners received scholarships from private universities including Neapolis University Pafos, European University Cyprus, University of Nicosia, University of Limassol, Frederick University, UCLan Cyprus and AUB Mediterraneo, linking today’s achievements with tomorrow’s academic opportunities. 

Several of the winning teams will now represent Cyprus abroad. In December, they will travel to Estonia to participate in Robotex International, while in April, the winners of the MRC challenges will carry the Cypriot flag to Crete for the MRC Global Olympiad.  

Their continued success will help maintain Cyprus’ strong record in educational robotics and reinforce the country’s growing presence on the international stage.

Until the next Robotex MRC Cyprus, scheduled for the last weekend of June 2026, the CCS is continuing its packed calendar of national competitions.  

These include the Bebras Challenge and the Informatics Olympiad, while this year’s FIRST® LEGO® League will explore the fascinating theme of archaeology. 

At the same time, Cyprus is preparing to welcome participants from nine countries to Larnaca next week for the Junior Balkan Olympiad in Informatics (JBOI), an event that further underlines the island’s growing role as a regional hub for technology and education.